Back in July, Earth had a lucky escape after a 100-metre-wide asteroid flew perilously close to the planet.
Named 2019 OK, the asteroid passed our planet at a distance of 40,400 miles. While this might sound far, it’s terrifying close in astronomical terms.
Now, internal emails have revealed that NASA only learned of the asteroid hours before it skimmed our planet, according to a report by Buzzfeed News .
In one email, which Buzzfeed News obtained through a Freedom of Information request, one NASA employee admitted that the asteroid had ‘slipped through the net.’
Another email, from NASA’s planetary defence officer, Lindley Johnson, said: “Because there may be media coverage tomorrow, I'm alerting you that in about 30 mins a 57-130 meter sized asteroid will pass Earth at only 0.19 lunar distances (~48,000 miles).
“2019 OK was spotted about 24 hrs ago.”
The asteroid was spotted by an observatory in Brazil, which alerted NASA.
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