2002 MN

2002 MN is a small near-Earth asteroid of the Apollo - type, which was discovered on 17 June 2002 by the automatic sky monitoring LINEAR ( Lincoln Near Earth Asteroid Research). The diameter of the asteroid is estimated to be 50 to 120 meters and its mass to 5.4 · 108 kg. After its discovery, it was found that in 2002, MN on June 14, 2002, that is three days before its discovery, was flown in just about 120,000 km past the earth, the speed be relative to that about 10.6 km / s had. This distance corresponds to slightly less than a third of the average distance of the moon and was at that time the zweitnäheste known approach of a small body in the earth (after that of 1994 XM1 eight years earlier ). This fact and the fact that the asteroid was not discovered until three days after its closest approach, generated some publicity in the media. The flyby in 2002 also ranked today among the closest known approximations of an asteroid; Rail Regulations have shown that in 2002, MN will not be a threat to Earth in the foreseeable future.