Astronomers in Brazil discovered asteroid 2016 QA2 on Saturday

Earth just had a 'close shave' with a 180ft asteroid - and no one saw it coming Some close calls are enough to keep you awake at night, especially if they concern huge chunks of flaming rock smashing into the planet. Astronomers marked one such close shave at the weekend after an asteroid larger than a Blue Whale whizzed between the Earth and the moon – a hair’s breadth in astronomical terms.