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Astronomers briefly thought Elon Musk’s car was an asteroid. Here’s why that points to a broader problem

Astronomers mistakenly identified Elon Musk's car as an asteroid, leading to the designation of asteroid 2018 CN41 by the Minor Planet Center before it was retracted within 24 hours.
The incident highlights challenges in tracking deep-space objects, especially with the increasing number of human-made items in orbit.
NASA's Paul Chodas noted that misidentifications of space objects have occurred multiple times, complicating the tracking of potentially hazardous asteroids.
Dara Norman from the American Astronomical Society emphasized the need for transparency in astronomical data to improve space situational awareness and safety.

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Washington Top News

+3 Reposted by 3 other sources

Astronomers even thought Musk's car was an asteroid. This could be a broader problem

Seven years after SpaceX launched Elon Musk’s cherry-red sports car into orbit around the Sun, astronomers have unwittingly turned their attention to its movements again. Researchers spotted and correctly identified the vehicle as it began its extraterrestrial jaunt in February 2018, after blasting off into space during the Falcon Heavy rocket’s spectacular inaugural launch. But more recently, the car gave rise to a high-profile case of mistaken…

1 month ago·Washington, United States

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CNN

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Elon Musk’s Telsa Roadster was mistaken for an asteroid. Here’s why

Astronomers mistook a car SpaceX blasted into space years ago as an asteroid. The brief mix-up highlights the sometimes difficult pursuit of tracking deep-space objects.

1 month ago·Atlanta, United States

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NDTV Profit

Space Oddity: Asteroid Or Starman? Elon Musk's Tesla Roadster Mistakenly Tagged As NEO

An asteroid close to Earth! It certainly rang a few alarms at NASA. Now, asteroids pose a significant threat to Earth, and space agencies worldwide, including NASA, continuously track them to assess the chances of impact and the likely destruction potential. Notably, an asteroid that struck Earth millions of years ago was responsible for the extinction of dinosaurs. Now, a major mistake has put the spotlight on the effectiveness of this tracking…

1 month ago

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