Asteroid 2018 MZ4 flew past Earth at 0.54 LD

asteroid-2018-mz4

A newly discovered asteroid designated 2018 MZ4 flew past Earth at 0.54 LD / 0.00139 AU (207 941 km / 129 208 miles) on June 16, 2018, one day before it was discovered. This is 36th known asteroid to flyby Earth within 1 lunar distance since the start of the year.

2018 MZ4 belongs to the Apollo group of asteroids and has an estimated size between 4.6 and 10 m (15 – 32.8 feet). It was first observed at Palomar Mountain – ZTF on June 17, 2018.

The object flew past us at a speed (relative to the Earth) of 9.76 km/s at 18:55 UTC.

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

References:

Asteroid 2018 MZ4 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 one-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.

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