An amateur astronomer made a tiny mistake when he spotted the Tesla Roadster that Elon Musk and SpaceX fired into space a few years ago.
Elon Musk launched the Tesla Roadster into space aboard a SpaceX rocket in 2018 in what was essentially a marketing stunt.
The EV has been orbiting the Earth ever since, and there are several websites that are tracking the car’s trajectory.
The problem is that this guy probably hadn’t checked those websites, and what he saw made everyone gasp for a second.
Here’s what happened to Musk’s Tesla
Elon Musk used his Roadster as a dummy payload for the rocket’s first test and launched it into space.
The car was Musk’s personal Roadster, but he even placed a SpaceX mannequin inside named Starman.
There are several websites that keep track of the car, including Whereisroadster.com, which is probably the most famous.
SpaceX
At the time of writing, the car is around 84 million miles from Earth, but it is currently moving away from Mars and the Sun and back toward Earth, and it’s doing so at a speed of around 35,000+ mph.
The fact that this Tesla Roadster is approaching Earth again, combined with the astronomer’s mistake, caused some panic.
SpaceX
Here’s why there was a collective moment of panic
The problem is that there are so many objects flying around the Earth – including SpaceX’s Starlink satellites, ironically – and it’s been difficult to keep track of everything that’s in orbit.
Also, if you’re an amateur astronomer, it’s not like you’re going to see a red car-shaped figure in space.
All you’ll see is a tiny dot.
einstraus/Wikipedia Commons
So when this Turkish astronomer spotted the vehicle, he initially mistook it for a new asteroid, which set off a few alarm bells.
But then Peter Veres, an astrophysicist at the Minor Planet Center, explained what happened.
Speaking to the Smithsonian Magazine, he explained that the Turkish astronomer had cross-referenced the Roadster via a catalog of artificial satellites that did not include the Roadster, and so he had assumed it was an asteroid approaching Earth.
SpaceX
In theory, the SpaceX Roadster could eventually hit Earth, but not for millions of years.
Scientists estimate there is about a 6 percent chance of a collision within the next million years, and a 22 percent to 50 percent chance over tens of millions of years.
And even if it ever does enter our atmosphere, the car will almost entirely vaporize on entry, posing absolutely no danger to anyone on the ground.
History of the Tesla Roadster in Space
February 6, 2018: Elon Musk’s personal cherry-red Tesla Roadster is launched aboard SpaceX’s maiden Falcon Heavy test flight, with the mannequin ‘Starman’ in the driver’s seat
February 2018: After leaving Earth orbit, the Roadster is placed into a heliocentric orbit around the Sun, crossing the paths of Earth and Mars
August 2019: The Roadster completes its first orbit around the Sun, marking roughly 18 months in deep space
October 2020: The Roadster makes a distant flyby of Mars at around 5 million miles, with the planet’s gravity having little effect on its trajectory
January 2, 2025: An amateur astronomer in Turkey mistakes the Roadster for a newly discovered near-Earth asteroid, prompting astronomers to temporarily designate it as 2018 CN41
January 3, 2025: Astronomers identify the object as Musk’s Tesla Roadster, withdraw the asteroid designation, and confirm there is no threat to Earth