A newly discovered asteroid designated 2017 JQ1 flew past Earth at a distance of 0.44 LD (168 960 km / 104 986 miles) at 01:16 UTC on May 4, 2017. This is the 20th known asteroid to fly past Earth within 1 lunar distance since January 9, 2017.
2017 JQ1 belongs to the Apollo group of asteroids. It was first observed at Mt. Lemmon Survey on May 2, 2017. Its estimated size is between 2 and 8 m (6 - 26 feet) and it flew past Earth at a speed of 11.24 km/s (relative to the Earth). It won't pass this close to Earth for at least 180 years.
[ Ephemeris | Orbit Diagram | Orbital Elements | Physical Parameters | Close-Approach Data ]
As of May 1, 2017, there are 16 199 known near-Earth objects. 16 093 of them are asteroids, 8 774 belong to the Apollo group of asteroids.
Since January 1, 2017, we have discovered 686 near-Earth objects, all of them are asteroids. 20 of them, including 2017 JQ1, flew past Earth within 1 lunar distance.
Reference:
Asteroid 2017 JQ1 at Minor Planet Center, CNEOS
Featured image credit: 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 one hour intervals. The Moon's orbit is gray. The blue arrow points in the direction of Earth's motion and the yellow arrow points toward the Sun. Credit: Minor Planet Center.
