An asteroid more than a mile wide has skimmed past Earth in a “close approach”. The object made its closest approach at 10.56am UK time, when it was just 3.9 million miles away. That is still roughly 16 times the distance between the Earth and the Moon. But it is a relatively close pass for an asteroid – and the rock known as (52768) 1998 OR2 will get even closer this century.
