On Wednesday, scientists discovered that an asteroid buzzing past Earth has a companion.
The 2.7-km wide asteroid 1998 QE2 has a 600-metre wide moon. This makes this a binary asteroid, meaning that it is a two-asteroid system. Only about 16 percent of near-Earth asteroids that are larger than 200 metres are binary or triple systems.
The asteroid will reach its closest approach on May 31 at 4:59 p.m. ET when it will be 5.8 million kms from Earth, about 15 times the distance between the Earth and the moon.
During a briefing on Wednesday, White House spokesman John Earnest was asked about the asteroid. He assured the public that they asteroid “poses no threat to Earth.”
“I never really thought I’d be standing up here saying that,” he said to laughter.
Researchers discovered the moon using the 70-metre Deep Space Network antenna in Goldstone, California on May 29 as QE2 was about 6 million kms from Earth.
–with files from The Associated Press
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