When is an asteroid not an asteroid? When it's Elon Musk's Tesla Roadster, it turns out.
The discovery of a new asteroid this month has turned out to be Elon Musk's Tesla Roadster launched by SpaceX in 2018.
Asteroid? Nope, It’s Elon Musk’s Tesla Roadster Cruising Through Space
Less than 24 hours after the Minor Planet Center announced a new asteroid, it said the object was actually Musk's electric car launched into space as payload on a rocket.
Astronomers Thought They Had Found A Dangerous Asteroid Near Earth — It Was Elon Musk’s Tesla Roadster
The “asteroid” wasn’t a space rock after all. It was a cherry-red Tesla Roadster that Elon Musk launched into space to much fanfare in 2018 as part of a publicity stunt during the maiden flight of SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket. The car, complete with a mannequin named “Starman” in the driver’s seat, had been orbiting the Sun ever since.
Asteroid turns out to be Musk's Tesla Roadster launched in 2018 | The Sky Guy
Catch Tallahassee Astronomical Society’s free planetarium show “February Skies over Tallahassee,” at the Fogg Planetarium on Feb. 1.
Astronomers announce discovery of new asteroid — only to learn it’s a Tesla sports car hurling through space
The Minor Planet Center in Cambridge, Mass., officially registered the new space rock Jan. 2, saying it was spotted hurling through the final frontier roughly 150,000 miles from Earth, according
Space object or sports car? How a Tesla Roadster was briefly mistaken for an asteroid
What an amateur astronomer recently took to be a newly-discovered asteroid turned out to be a Tesla Roadster voyaging through the cosmos.
Elon Musk's Tesla mistaken for asteroid in near-Earth collision scare
However, the Minor Planet Center (MPC), the agency responsible for cataloging asteroids, quickly retracted the classification after determining that the object was actually Elon Musk’s Tesla Roadster, which was sent into space aboard SpaceX’s inaugural Falcon Heavy flight.
Asteroid or Artifact? How a Tesla Roadster Caused a Cosmic Misidentification
Avi Loeb shares the story of how a Tesla Roadster had some astronomers convinced for a time that they had discovered a new asteroid.
Newly discovered asteroid turns out to be Tesla Roadster launched into space
Astronomers mistook a Tesla Roadster that was launched into orbit in 2018 for an asteroid earlier this month. The registry of what was thought to be an asteroid was soon deleted.
‘New asteroid’ turns out to be Tesla car shot to space in 2018
The rocket launched into orbit on February 6, 2018, as part of a publicity stunt while the Falcon Heavy was being tested. Musk’s old car was fitted with a mannequin wearing a white spacesuit sitting in the driver’s seat named Starman.
Newly discovered near-Earth asteroid isn't an asteroid at all — it's Elon Musk's trashed Tesla
Astronomers have retracted the discovery of a new asteroid after realizing the object was the remains of Elon Musk's Tesla Roadster and its driver "Starman," which were launched into space in 2018.
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An Amateur Astronomer Seemingly Spotted a New Asteroid. It Turned Out to Be a Tesla in Space
The car, launched in 2018 on a SpaceX rocket’s upper stage, is one of many human-made objects in deep space that could ...
Mystery 'asteroid' in Earth's orbit is something completely different – and it's Musk's fault
Major astronomy body the Minor Planet Centre (MPC) was forced to list the discovery - made by a citizen scientist - as ...