Watch an SUV-sized asteroid zoom by Earth in close shave flyby in this time-lapse video - Space.com

Asteroid 2023 BU zipped past Earth Thursday nighttime (Jan. 26) to the delight of amateur astronomers worldwide. For skywatchers without entree to a scope oregon those who had their presumption hampered by atrocious weather, luckily the Italy-based Virtual Telescope Project was determination to observe the lawsuit and livestream the full happening for free.

The Virtual Telescope is simply a robotic scope operated by Italian amateur astronomer Gianluca Masi adjacent Rome, Italy. As 2023 BU hurtled toward Earth, the scope was capable to way the stone done a spread successful the clouds erstwhile it was astir 13,670 miles (22,000 kilometers) from the closest constituent connected Earth's aboveground (about the altitude of the GPS navigation outer constellation) and 22,990 miles (37,000 km) from the Virtual Telescope. 

Masi, who shared an hour-long webcast of the observations connected the Virtual Telescope website, wasn't capable to seizure the closest attack arsenic clouds rolled in, however. Nonetheless, the Virtual Telescope Project was capable to get a bully look astatine the car-sized rock, seen successful time-lapse above.

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The rock, discovered little than a week agone connected Saturday (Jan. 21), passed supra the confederate extremity of South America astatine 7:27 p.m. EST connected Thursday Jan. 26 (0027 GMT connected Jan. 27), astatine a region of lone 2,240 miles (3,600 km) astatine its closest constituent to Earth's surface. 

This adjacent attack makes 2023 BU the 4th nearest asteroid ever observed from Earth, with the objection of 5 abstraction rocks that were detected earlier diving into Earth's atmosphere. 

Only 11.5 to 28 feet wide (3.5 to 8.5 meters), 2023 BU posed nary information to the planet. If the trajectories of the 2 bodies had intersected, the asteroid would mostly person burned up successful the ambiance with lone tiny fragments perchance falling to the crushed arsenic meteorites. 

In the videos and images shared by Masi, the asteroid is seen arsenic a tiny agleam dot successful the halfway of the frame, portion the longer, brighter lines are the surrounding stars. In reality, of course, it was the asteroid that was moving with respect to Earth, traveling astatine a velocity of 21,000 mph (33,800 km/h) with respect to Earth. As Masi's computerized scope tracked its positionthe stone appeared stationary successful the images portion rendering the stars arsenic these moving streaks.

The gravitational footwear that 2023 BU received during its brushwood with Earth volition change the signifier of its orbit astir the sun. Previously, the abstraction stone followed a alternatively circular orbit, completing 1 thigh astir the prima successful 359 days. From present on, BU 2023 volition question done the interior star strategy connected a much elliptical path, venturing fractional mode toward Mars astatine the farthest constituent of its orbit. This alteration volition adhd 66 days to BU 2023's orbital period. 

The asteroid was discovered by famed Crimea-based astronomer and astrophotographer Gennadiy Borisov, the aforesaid antheral who successful 2018 recovered the archetypal interstellar comet, which present bears his name, Borisov.

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