Astronomers mistook a car SpaceX blasted into space years ago as an asteroid. The brief mix-up highlights the sometimes difficult pursuit of tracking deep-space objects.

A space law expert has said Elon Musk could be in deep trouble his personal Tesla car crashed back into the planet.

Less than 24 hours after the Minor Planet Center announced a new asteroid, it said the object was actually Musk's electric car launched into space as payload on a rocket.