JPL Logo
Image

Asteroid 2020 QG as Seen Through ZTF Telescope

Aug 18, 2020
The circled streak in the center of this image is asteroid 2020 QG, which came closer to Earth than any other non-impacting asteroid on record.

The streak circled in the center of this image is asteroid 2020 QG, which came closer to Earth than any other nonimpacting asteroid on record. It was detected by the Zwicky Transient Facility on Sunday, Aug. 16 at 12:08 a.m. EDT (Saturday, Aug. 15 at 9:08 p.m. PDT).

The wide-field camera image of the Zwicky Transient Facility, a sky-scanning survey telescope funded by the National Science Foundation and NASA, and based at Caltech's Palomar Observatory in Southern California. The image was taken six hours after the close approach, as the asteroid was heading away from Earth.

Keep Exploring