A strange object recently spotted orbiting Earth has been identified as a Tesla Roadster. Initially classified as asteroid "2018 CN41" by the Minor Planet Center (MPC) on January 2, 2025, the object was discovered by an amateur astronomer based in Turkey. At over 240,000 km from Earth, the object is closer to the Moon than our planet. However, just hours later, the MPC announced that "2018 CN41" had been removed from its registry after it was...

Harvard-affiliated astronomers mistook Elon Musk's Tesla Roadster for an asteroid near Earth. Initially flagged as "2018 CN41," the object's identity was clarified within 17 hours, sparking concerns about tracking space debris.

A car shot into space by Elon Musk’s SpaceX seven years ago was briefly mistaken for a new asteroid, astronomers say. Earlier this month, the discovery of the object was announced by the Minor Planet Center at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was first spotted by an amateur astronomer in Turkey, who submitted it to professional astronomers.