A massive asteroid 455176 (1999 VF22) just swung past the Earth in the early hours of Tuesday. It was closest to the Earth’s surface at 2.54 am, when it was just 3.3 million miles (5.4 million km) away or almost 14 times the distance between us and the moon.
The asteroid is believed to have made the closest approach to Earth in the last 100 years. Although it passed by Earth at a safe distance, it is still considered a “potentially hazardous asteroid”.
It last visited Earth in 2020. The object came close to Earth at a staggering speed of 90,360 kilometers per hour.
As per reports, it was close enough for astronomers to study it using radar. The Virtual Telescope Project even aired a live stream of it.