Asteroid 1998 QE2 Approaches Earth

Date: May 31, 2013 • Location: Rome, Italy

The asteroid 1998 QE2 and its moon make their closest approach to Earth for the next two centuries.

An asteroid is a minor planet that orbits within the inner Solar System or is co-orbital with Jupiter. These objects are larger than a meteoroid and are neither a planet nor an identified comet. Asteroids are rocky, metallic, or icy bodies with no atmosphere, and are broadly classified into C-type (carbonaceous), M-type (metallic), or S-type (silicaceous). The size and shape of asteroids vary significantly, ranging from small rubble piles under a kilometer across to Ceres, a dwarf planet almost 1000 km in diameter. A body is classified as a comet, not an asteroid, if it shows a coma (tail) when warmed by solar radiation, although recent observations suggest a continuum between these types of bodies.