A recent discovery made by astronomers at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics has been retracted after it was revealed that a car was not an asteroid. The object in question, 2018 CN41, was initially identified as a Near-Earth Object (NEO) with the potential to collide with Earth. However, further investigation confirmed that it was actually Elon Musk’s Tesla Roadster launched into space by SpaceX in 2018.
The mistake highlights concerns about the lack of transparency in deep space operations, with some astronomers warning that the growing number of untracked objects could hinder efforts to protect Earth from potentially hazardous asteroids. Researchers have reported similar incidents, including a case where an object was mistakenly identified as a celestial body before being revealed as space junk.
Experts are calling for greater regulation and oversight to ensure that satellites in orbit do not remain there once their useful life ends. The incident serves as a reminder of the need for better tracking and monitoring systems to prevent such mistakes from occurring in the future.
Source: https://en.as.com/latest_news/astronomers-make-a-huge-mistake-and-confuse-a-new-asteroid-with-elon-musks-tesla-it-turned-out-to-be-space-junk-n