A large asteroid, approximately 1,000 to 2,300 feet wide, zoomed by Earth early today, passing just 1.4 million miles away from our planet. The asteroid, called 2020 XR, made its closest approach at around 12:26 a.m. EST and is roughly the size of several large stadiums.
In April 2020, astronomers initially predicted that 2020 XR might impact Earth in 2028 due to uncertainty about its orbit. However, reanalysis of past observations revealed previously unknown images of the asteroid, allowing scientists to accurately calculate its trajectory and confirm a zero-percentage chance of impact until at least 2120.
NASA tracks objects like 2020 XR as near-Earth objects (NEOs), classifying them as potentially hazardous if they are large enough and fly closer than 4.6 million miles from Earth. There are currently over 2,400 known NEOs, including 2020 XR.
The next close approach by the asteroid will occur in November 2028 at a more distant distance than today’s flyby.
Source: https://www.space.com/the-universe/asteroids/asteroid-the-size-of-3-million-elephants-zooms-past-earth