Jan 29, 2025 9:12 AM CST 1 minute & 30 seconds read time TL;DR: Researchers mistakenly identified Elon Musk's car as a near-Earth asteroid, underscoring the critical need for accurate tracking of space objects. Scientists have admitted to a blunder in space, and it involves Elon Musk's car. The admittance highlights the importance of accurate near-Earth object tracking. 3 VIEW GALLERY - 3 IMAGES The Minor Planet Electronic Circular listed the discovery of an asteroid on January 2, but the entry into the database was promptly removed after the researchers realized the object wasn't an asteroid at all but Elon Musk's car, specifically the Tesla Roadster that was launched into space on February 6, 2018. The correction was issued less than a day after the discovery of the suspected asteroid, with an editor notice being published informing readers the designation of 2018 CN41 "is being deleted". While the misidentification of the object was corrected promptly by the researchers after they realized the object's orbit matched the orbit of the Falcon Heavy Upper stage with the Tesla Roadster attached, the mistake does highlight a problem with space-object identification in general. There isn't a single database tracking every artificial object in space, and according to Minor Planet Center (MPC) director Matthew Payne, the lack of a centralized database for objects such as this means researchers need to gather data from various locations, hindering the identification process. The Minor Planet (MPC), which are the researchers who made a mistake, described the fumble as "deplorable." Notably, these aren't amateur astronomers as the MPC is funded by NASA's Near-Earth Object Observation program, and the MPC describes itself as "the single worldwide location for receipt and distribution of positional measurements of minor planets, comets, and outer irregular natural satellites of the major planets. The MPC is responsible for the identification, designation, and orbit computation for all of these objects." Moreover, the MPC operates from the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory at Harvard. Best Deals: SAMSUNG 15.6" Galaxy Book4 Edge Business Laptop Today