Asteroid 2024 HA flew past Earth at just 0.4 LD – the closest flyby of the year and 20th closest on record

A newly-discovered asteroid designated 2024 HA flew past Earth at a distance of just 0.4 LD / 0.00010 AU (15 550 km / 9 662 miles) at 17:42 UTC on April 16, 2024.

This is the 31^st asteroid to fly past Earth within 1 lunar distance (LD) since the start of the year and the 7^th so far this month. This is also the closest flyby of the year, followed by 2024 GJ2 at 0.049 LD on April 11 and 2024 EJ4 at 0.068 LD on March 13. Looking at the database since the year 1900, 2024 HA marks the 20^th closest approach on record.

This object was first observed at Pan-STARRS 2, Haleakala, Hawaii at 10:41 UTC on April 16 — 7 hours before the flyby.

It belongs to the Apollo group of asteroids and has an estimated diameter between 1.2 and 2.6 m (3.9 – 8.5 feet).

Featured image credit: CNEOS