The cosmos threw a curve ball at us, but a near-Earth object (NEO) called 2010 AL30 missed by over 80,000 miles. Although the object was too small to cause any damage, if it did hit, it would generated an impressive firework display before being vaporized by the upper atmosphere.
But astronomers didn't expect a collision and the 10 meter wide NEO flew past peacefully a few hours ago.
Although NASA officially declared the near-Earth object (NEO) an 'Apollo class' asteroid yesterday, there still seems to be some ambiguity as to what 2010 AL30 really is. The strange one year orbit of the NEO has led some scientists to speculate that it originated from Earth. Perhaps it's an old and used rocket booster?
Asteroid' 2010 AL30 Might Be Venus Express Rocket : Discovery News
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