Asteroid safe close approach: (139622) 2001 QQ142; December 2023

Asteroid safe close approach factsheet: (139622) 2001 QQ142; December 2023

Asteroid (139622) 2001 QQ142 safely passed by Earth at 20:59 UTC on 6 December 2023 at a distance of 5,520,500 km from the planet’s surface. That is over 14 times further away from Earth than the Moon, but it is still a rare event for an asteroid this large to come this close. It is between 500 and 1200 metres in size.

It posed no threat. 

(139622) 2001 QQ142 orbits the Sun once every ~620 Earth days. Its orbital eccentricity and inclination are typical for an asteroid of its type. It was discovered in 2001, and last passed close to Earth in December 2006. Its next visit will be in December 2045.

More information from ESA's Near-Earth Object Coordination Centre, part of ESA's Planetary Defence Office and Space Safety Programme.