A Bus-Size Asteroid Just Gave Earth a Close Shave

The newfound asteroid, named 2016 RB1, is between 13 and 46 feet (4 to 14 meters) wide. According to NASA's Near Earth Object Program, RB1 zoomed past Earth at a relative speed of over 18,000 mph (8.13 km/s) and passed within 23,900 miles (38,463 kilometers) of the Earth's surface. The rock came particularly close to Earth's communication satellites, which orbit at an altitude of 22,300 miles (35,900 km).