Asteroid that raced past Earth at 33,000mph last night came closer than the MOON

An asteroid the size of three double decker buses and travelling at at 33,000 mph came closer to Earth than the Moon last night.

At 21:07 GMT (16:07 EST), the asteroid made its closest approach, reaching a distance of less than 217,000 miles (350,000 km), or nine-tenths of the distance between the moon and Earth.
Scientists predicted it would avoid a collision with Earth, but the 98ft (30 metre) asteroid nevertheless offered spectacular views for anyone with a good telescope in their back garden.