it’s just a matter of time...
Hardly surprising. Most of the telescope coverage is concentrated in the northern hemisphere, so there are big gaps in coverage anyway, and relatively few of them are actively searching for asteroids.
On top of that, this one is tiny as far as asteroids go, and even if it had entered the atmosphere, it would most likely have landed in an ocean if it even survived the trip down. Had it hit land, or even a population center, it would have made a mess, but would not have posed an existential threat. Until recently, things like this have come down in the ocean without us even noticing.
Asteroids have low albedo levels, and don’t produce tails like comets do, so they’re incredibly hard to spot unless they’re very close. With this particular one, you’re trying to pick out something that would barely cover half a football field at most, that’s black against a black background, at interplanetary distances.
The most that a little object like this can do is highlight the need for better coverage and a more concerted search effort, because even though the big ones only rarely swing past, and even more rarely stop for a visit, the consequences of one impacting are severe at a minimum.
Where was Bill Nye to save the planet?
My hope hangs on one of those hitting smack dab on DC during the State of the Union address.
If it hit, it would only affect women and minorities, so I don’t worry too much about it. It’s a white privilege thing.