The Car-Sized Asteroid that Swerved by Earth

Today, on April 12, a small asteroid the size of a car flew past the Earth. Astronomers dubbed the asteroid 2021 GW4. Through some calculations, astronomers discovered that the asteroid was 14 feet across, which is too small to survive entry into orbit. 

The asteroid had its closest approach today and was approximately 16,300 miles away from the Earth. While that may seem like a very large distance, it isn’t on an astronomical scale. 16,300 miles is less than one-tenth the distance from the Earth to the moon, making it way closer than normal. However, 2021 GW4 will not come near Earth for the next century, due to it having a 2-year loop around the Sun and the Earth orbiting the Sun.

2021 GW4 Detected by Mt. Lemmon Survey

2021 GW4 was first spotted by astronomers at Mt. Lemmon Survey on April 8th, 2021. This survey is a part of a broader project called the Catalina Sky Survey. This project is a high-powered discovery project that has already identified more than 500 asteroids this year alone. To this date, NASA has identified more than 25,500 near-Earth asteroids. Don‘t be scared though because most of these asteroids are too small to pose a threat to Earth and humanity.

Sources:

Bartels, Meghan. “A Small, Car-Sized Asteroid Just Gave Earth a Close Shave.” Space.com, Space, 12 Apr. 2021, www.space.com/near-earth-asteroid-close-approach-2021-gw4.