On June 5, 2020 an asteroid flew so close to Earth that at a point of time, it was nearer to the planet than the moon. However, what is surprising is the fact that it was detected two days after the celestial event actually occurred. According to a report published in the Business Insider, this is the biggest asteroid to have come within one lunar distance of Earth this year. This asteroid is being referred to as 2020 LD. The celestial body is approximately 100 meters (300 feet) in diameter.
In 2020, 45 asteroids have flown past the Earth undetected. But from the ones which have been detected 2020 LD has been the largest. Interestingly, this is also the ninth largest asteroid in the history of planetoids to have ever flown past Earth. Had this asteroid hit our planet it would have caused massive devastation. As per the European Space Agency’s Near-Earth Object Coordination Centre, the distance of 2020 LD was a mere 0.8 lunar distances away when it approached on June 5. This distance is certainly lesser than that of the moon. If one assumes that the moon is at a distance of 3,84,317 kilometers from Earth, then the 2020 LD asteroid was only 3,07,454 kilometers away from the planet when it flew by. –News 18
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