Astronomers announce discovery of new asteroid — only to learn it’s a Tesla sports car hurling through space

ny post ^ | 01/25/2025 | Natalie O'Neill

[BenLurkin]

Harvard University-affiliated astronomers announced the discovery of a new asteroid zooming precariously close to Earth — only to learn it was actually a Tesla sports car launched by Elon Musk as a publicity stunt seven years ago, scientists said Friday.

The Minor Planet Center in Cambridge, Mass., officially registered the new space rock Jan. 2, saying it was spotted hurling through the final frontier roughly 150,000 miles from Earth, according to Astronomy magazine.

Its distance was closer to the planet than the moon— prompting the scientists to declare the asteroid had the potential to some day slam into Earth.

The elite organization, located at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, then gave the object an official name: “2018 CN41.”

[Tench_Coxe]

Heavy Metal Opening Scene

[ArcadeQuarters]

Why is it throwing up?

[TonyM]

Is this a joke or did a new DEI hire astronomer come up with this?

[ProtectOurFreedom]

“Hurling” through space, Natalie? I think I’m going to hurl.

[Bobalu]

Some day people will travel to see that car, it will have to be under some sort of legal protection to keep it from being tampered with.. The same will be true of the landing sites on the moon... they will be protected historical areas as will the wreckage of early Mars probes.

[Gene Eric]

was it traveling at ludicrous speed?

[grey_whiskers]

Harvard. Because Smarter Than You.™

[Waverunner]

Best Corvette entrance ever. Played that song many times while driving my corvette along A1A between Port Canaveral and Indialantic.

[dp0622]

“Ah, buckle this!!”

:)

[Tom Tetroxide]

If you want to know where Starman in the Tesla Roadster is currently located check here.
https://www.whereisroadster.com

[mazz44]

Bullshit! What a show!

[Gene Eric]

lol

[markman46]

The roadster is back 🤣🤣

[Blueway]

We used to make that drive on A1A from Satellite Beach to Indialantic, but I remember “Rapsody in White” always on the radio.

[Tired of Taxes]

I expected this story to be Babylon Bee.

[alexander_busek]

The elite organization, located at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, then gave the object an official name: “2018 CN41.”

Should have called it "TSLA 10."

Regards,

[minnesota_bound]

About 66 million years from now the new intelligent life discovers that a vehicle of some sort hit the earth wiping out almost all life. They discovered a thin layer of lithium in the earth that was the result of the impact....

[metmom]

The ultimate source isn’t The Babylon Bee is it?

Cause it sure reads like a headline they’d write.

[BitWielder1]

Just track all the untracked objects and they won't be untracked anymore.
Keep it in the database, with a note "SPACE JUNK" so you don't have to be surprised again.
I find it hard to believe that one extra object will make it harder to track millions of others.