Record Close Encounter
1998 WT24 is a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA). That means its orbit takes it very close to Earth and if it were to collide with our planet, it would cause devastation on at least a regional scale. On December 16, 2001, it became the first Potentially Hazardous Asteroid to be observed passing within 5 Lunar Distances (the average distance between the Earth and the Moon) from the Earth. Other asteroids have come closer, and several have even come closer than the Moon, but these have all been small asteroids, incapable of causing much damage to the planet, or much concern. The 2001 encounter was the closest known approach to Earth any Potentially Hazardous Asteroid has made since 1999 RD32 passed by in 1969. However, 1999 RD32 was not discovered until many years after its closest approach, so no one knew it came at the time.
In September 2004, the well known Potentially Hazardous Asteroid 4179 Toutatis came about 4 Lunar Distances from Earth. Due to its diameter being over ten times larger (5.7 km) and its closer approach, Toutatis at its closest (mag 8.9) was about half a magnitude brighter than 1998 WT24 was at its closest (mag 9.5). However, Toutatis arrived during a full moon, and thus 1998 WT24's 2001 encounter is still the most easily observed flyby of an asteroid in history. It also made 1998 WT24 the first Near-Earth asteroid observed to be brighter than magnitude 10.
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