The discovery of an asteroid the size of a small shipping truck that posed no threat to humans just days before it passed Earth on Thursday has exposed a blind spot in our ability to predict, astronomers say. Which can really hurt.
NASA has for years prioritized detecting asteroids much larger and more existentially threatening than 2023 BU, a space rock smaller than some satellites, some 2,200 miles above Earth’s surface.
If bound for Earth, it would have been pulverized in the atmosphere, with only small pieces possibly reaching land.
But 2023 BU sits at the smaller end of the size group of asteroids ranging from 5 to 50 meters in diameter, which includes one as large as an Olympic swimming pool.