Closest asteroid flyby of the year: 2018 PD20 flew past Earth at 0.09 LD

A newly discovered asteroid designated 2018 PD20 flew past Earth at a very close distance of 0.09 LD / 0.00022 AU (33 210 km / 20 636 miles) at 14:31 UTC on August 10, 2018.

This near-Earth object belongs to the Apollo group of asteroids and its estimated diameter is between 8.9 and 20 m (29 and 65 feet).

It was first observed at 13:05 UTC on August 11 at ATLAS-MLO, Mauna Loa, one day after its closest approach.

[ Ephemeris | Orbit Diagram | Orbital Elements | Mission Design | Physical Parameters | Close-Approach Data ]

This is the 39^th known asteroid to flyby Earth within 1 lunar distance since the start of the year and the 40^th discovered (within 1 LD), including 2018 LA which was discovered some 8 hours before it hit Botswana on June 2.

This was also the closest flyby of any known asteroid since the start of the year, right after 2018 BD of January 18 at 0.00026 AU.

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Reference:

Asteroid 2018 PD20 at Minor Planet Center; at CNEOS

Featured image: The green line indicates the object’s apparent motion relative to the Earth, and the bright green marks are the object’s location at approximately half hour intervals. The Moon’s orbit is grey. The blue arrow points in the direction of Earth’s motion and the yellow arrow points toward the Sun. Credit: Minor Planet Center