Near-Earth object atmosphere, passing Earth's surface only away (about one Earth radius or one-sixtieth of the distance to the Moon). Because it was very small (6 meters/20 feet), FU was detected only hours before its closest approach. If it had collided with Earth, it probably would have disintegrated harmlessly in the atmosphere. On February 4, 2011, an asteroid designated , estimated at in diameter, passed within of the Earth, setting a new record for closest approach without impact, which still stands . On November 8, 2011, asteroid , relatively large at about in diameter, passed within (0.85 lunar distances) of Earth. On
Earth, Moon, and Planets original research articles on formation of stars and planets, evolution of the Solar System including its origin, and the evolution of extra-solar systems including their origins. The focus also includes asteroids, comets, meteoroids, and near-Earth objects, Earth impact hazards, the Solar System-Earth relationship, and related topics. Research coverage encompasses physical and chemical properties of the above-mentioned celestial bodies, and their related chaotic behavior. This journal is abstracted and indexed in the following databases: Earth, Moon, and Planets Earth, Moon, and Planets is a peer-reviewed scientific journal, published approximately ten times per year by Springer Science+Business Media. It was established in