www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99996307
The closest observed asteroid yet to skim past the Earth without hitting the atmosphere, was reported by astronomers on Sunday.
The previously unknown object, spanning five to 10 metres across, has been named 2004 FU162. It streaked across the sky just 6500 kilometres - roughly the radius of the Earth - above the ground on 31 March, although details have only now emerged.
The MIT Lincoln Laboratory's asteroid-hunting LINEAR telescope in Socorro, New Mexico,US, observed the new object four times over a 44-minute period, several hours before its closest approach in March.
"This was an extraordinarily close encounter and so the orbital change was quite extraordinary. 2004 FU162 was deflected by about 20 degrees because of the Earth's gravity. I've never seen anything like that before," Chesley told New Scientist.
  