A small asteroid about the size of a car flew close to Earth overnight Tuesday, giving scientists another chance to study objects that pass near the planet. The space rock, known as 2026 FM3, made its closest approach on March 24-25, according to NASA.

Scientists say the asteroid measured roughly 4 to 8 meters wide, similar to a car. It passed about 147,000 miles from Earth, which is closer than the distance to the moon. Even so, experts stressed that it posed no danger to the planet.

Astronomers only discovered the asteroid a few days before its flyby using a telescope in California. After spotting it, scientists quickly tracked its path to confirm that it would safely pass Earth without any risk of impact.

The asteroid traveled at more than 11,000 miles per hour as it moved through space. Despite its speed, experts say objects of this size are not considered dangerous. If one were to enter Earth’s atmosphere, it would likely burn up and appear as a bright streak of light, often called a meteor or fireball.

NASA and other space agencies track thousands of near-Earth objects like this one. There are more than 41,000 known near-Earth asteroids that come relatively close to Earth’s orbit, and scientists are constantly watching for any that could pose a future risk.

Most of these flybys happen without people noticing. Smaller asteroids pass by Earth fairly often, and many are only detected shortly before or after they move past the planet. These events help scientists improve their systems for spotting and tracking space objects.

Experts say studying these close approaches is important for planetary defense. By learning more about how asteroids move and what they are made of, scientists can better prepare for larger objects that could pose a real threat in the future.

“For people who’ve recently seen stories about fireballs over places like Ohio and Texas, this is a useful distinction: Not every nearby asteroid becomes a meteor, and not every close pass is a threat,” said cleveland.com | The Plain Dealer weather reporter Ryan Cohick. “In this case, the asteroid is simply passing safely by Earth, with no danger to the planet.”

Read the original article on cleveland.com. Add cleveland.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here.