Asteroid hurtles toward Earth ? He discovers an object in space that turns out to be… Elon Musk’s Tesla

The discovery of an asteroid 240,000 kilometres from Earth by a Turkish amateur astronomer has caused a sensation at the Minor Planet Center. Described as a near-Earth object, i.e. likely to reach Earth in the future, the asteroid turned out to be a Tesla vehicle, launched into orbit by Elon Musk in 2018.

What is more unusual: an asteroid that turns out to be a Tesla, or a vehicle that ends up in space ? However, these are the questions that astronomers at the Minor Planet Center asked themselves at the beginning of January, after an alert was raised by a Turkish amateur on the subject.

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As reported by Astronomy Magazine, the individual in question thought he had discovered an as yet unidentified asteroid, relatively close to Earth.

A madness by Elon Musk who has been wandering in space since 2018

Named 2018 CN41, the object is described as a near-Earth object by the Minor planet center (MPC), due to the possibility of contact with Earth one day. A first flight that will only last one day.

The time for scientists to reveal, in a press release on January 3, that the asteroid discovered is ultimately the result of an experiment by the company SpaceX and Tesla. “It was pointed out that the orbit corresponded to that of an artificial object 2018-017A, the upper stage of the Falcon Heavy with the Tesla roadster.” The designation was later removed.

But how can the vehicle of the company created by Elon Musk end up in space?? We must then go back to February 6, 2018, almost seven years ago. The company SpaceX launched the Falcon Heavy, in other words the “most powerful rocket in the world”, into space from Cape Canaveral in Florida.

The American billionaire took the opportunity to include a vehicle Tesla, a cherry red Roadster, in which was installed a mannequin dressed in the spacesuit developed by the company.

From the electric convertible, one of the first creations of the company created by Elon Musk orbits between Earth and Mars, explaining its position in space. No reason to fear a future impact on the blue planet yet. Unless the asteroid 2024 YR4 crashes into Earth in December 2032…