The space rock came as close as within 4.15 million miles from our planet, according to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Two meteorites found in the Sahara show tantalizing similarities to the innermost planet, and while researchers say they are likely not direct samples, “one cannot rule out” the idea

The flash in the Georgia sky in June, described by witnesses as a fireball, traveled hundreds of millions of miles through space before entering the Earth’s atmosphere, eventually crashing into a home. “This one went through a house in McDonough, an the whole mass, we estimate, was probably like the size of a large cherry tomato,” Harris said.

The Perseid meteor shower, expected to peak Aug. 12-13, will light up the night sky with up to 100 meteors per hour, offering stargazers one of the year’s best celestial shows.