HOW’S THAT SPACE PROGRAM COMING ALONG? An Asteroid Barely Skimmed Earth Last Week, And We Completely Missed It. “It was a close call (from a cosmic perspective); the space rock’s trajectory on October 24 carried it over Antarctica within 1,800 miles (3,000 kilometers) of Earth – closer than some satellites – making it the third-closest asteroid to approach the planet without actually hitting it, CNET reported. Scientists were unaware of the object, dubbed Asteroid 2021 UA1, because it approached Earth’s daytime side from the direction of the Sun, so the comparatively dim and small visitor went undetected until about four hours after passing by at its closest point, according to CNET.”

It wasn’t a very big one, but it indicates a gap in our detection systems.