Earlier this year, NASA announced that it will orbit at a great distance to Earth, passing within two million kilometers (in terms of space, that’s closer than it sounds, earning him the potentially dangerous Asteroid title). Moving at just under 77,000 miles per hour, and measured to measure approximately one kilometer in diameter, the 2001 FO32 Asteroid is the largest and fastest of its kind to pass so close. our planet this year.
Last month, Alan Fitzsimmons, a professor of astronomy at Queen’s University Belfast, told Dazed that if an asteroid of this magnitude hit the surface of the planet, it could wreak havoc. and cause global climate impacts. Fortunately, we have nothing to worry about yet, as astronomers’ observations have shown that it is not on the way to hit us for at least 200 years.
In fact, Fitzsimmons says that even a 2001 Asteroid FO32 will not be easy to see without a proven telescope, adding that at the closest point “it will be 100,000 times weaker than the weakest stars you can see”.
The Virtual Telescope Project (VTP), however, lets you watch the asteroid pass by in real time, and you don’t even have to go out. Starting at 11pm ET on March 21 – or 4am March 22 in the UK – the VTP will be on free live online feed.
This feeding follows the asteroid “a few hours after passing, when it is much narrower and less visible from the northern hemisphere, at the break of day,” VTP reports. definition. “This way, you can embark on the journey from the comfort of your home.”
The loss of the asteroid (for the most part) just won’t allow enthusiasts to see its flight in action, however. As Fitzsimmons explains, the flight will provide a valuable opportunity to study large, near-Earth asteroids, and learn more about them at a safe distance. The next opportunity for a closer look at the 2001 FO32 Asteroid is expected around March 22, 2052.