Finally, it wouldn’t be 2020 without us mentioning an asteroid. Once again, a near-Earth asteroid was discovered mere days before it safely passed by Earth. This time, the asteroid in question was 2020 SW, and it was found by NASA’s Catalina Sky Survey in Arizona on September 18. It passed by Earth yesterday, September 24, at an incredibly close distance of 22,000 kilometers, which is actually below the ring of geostationary satellites that orbit at 36,000 kilometers. 

That’s a little frightening. Don’t be alarmed, though. The asteroid is only the size of a small school bus, about 5 to 10 meters across. It would have broken up in the atmosphere and made a spectacular fireball in the process. Asteroid 2020 SW won’t be back until 2041, and next time, it will be much farther away from Earth.

More Information

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory press release