Comments
Go Back
87°
Columbus, OH
87°F
Use Current Location
Recent
Columbus
Ohio
87°
No results found.
Try searching for a city, zip code or point of interest.
Help
Columbus, OH Weather
Today
WinterCast
Local {stormName} Tracker
Hourly
10-Day
Radar
MinuteCast®
Monthly
Air Quality
Health & Activities
Products & Services
Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
Products & Services
Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
© 2026 AccuWeather, Inc. "AccuWeather" and sun design are registered trademarks of AccuWeather, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
News / Astronomy
A car-sized asteroid made the closest Earth flyby a space rock has ever survived
By Chelsea Gohd
Published Aug 19, 2020 6:16 PM EDT
Partner Content
A newly discovered car-sized asteroid just made the closest-known flyby to Earth without hitting our planet.
On Sunday (Aug. 16), the asteroid, initially labeled ZTF0DxQ and now formally known to astronomers as 2020 QG, swooped by Earth at a mere 1,830 miles (2,950 kilometers) away. That gives 2020 QG the title of closest asteroid flyby ever recorded that didn't end with the space rock's demise.
It's the closest known, non-impacting asteroid, NASA officials told Space.com
The car-sized asteroid 2020 QG made the closest Earth flyby ever recorded on Aug. 16, 2020. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)
The flyby wasn't expected and took many by surprise. In fact, the Palomar Observatory didn't detect the zooming asteroid until about six hours after the object's closest approach. "The asteroid approached undetected from the direction of the sun," Paul Chodas, the director of NASA's Center for Near Earth Object Studies, told Business Insider. "We didn't see it coming."
Click here to continue reading on SPACE.com.
Report a Typo