Stargazers and space enthusiasts have another important date to officially add to the calendar: next month, Earth will pass a massive speed at an unprecedented speed – about 97 percent faster than any other known asteroid.
According to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the asteroid, known as the 2001 FO32, is considered “dangerous” because of its size and the speed at which it orbits the Earth.
That being said, according to a Travel + Recreation reportedly, there is no need to worry that the asteroid will be damaging the planet this time – it will be about 1.3 million miles from Earth, or about five hours longer than the moon. In fact, the closest asteroid ever to Earth ever made it nearly 1,830 miles from the planet, last August.
Described by NASA as “Something Near Earth,” that asteroid is approximately 0.47 to 1.06 miles in diameter; a large size for NEO that is similar to the size of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California.
“NEOs are comets and asteroids that are suppressed by the attraction of nearby planets to orbits that allow them to enter Earth’s orbit,” NASA explained on their Jet Propulsion Laboratory website (JPL). “The scientific interest in comets and asteroids is largely due to their status as the relatively unchanged debris from the solar system’s formation process around 4.6 billion years ago.”
Interested in getting a glimpse of the NEO while it passes the Earth in real time? Well, you’re in good luck – as long as you get access to a telescope. Despite its size, Asteroid 2001 FO32 will not be visible to the naked eye… but the amateur star can still be seen at the right time.
The high speed is expected to pass Earth on March 24 at 12:03 am HKT at a speed of 76,980 miles per hour. And unlike most asteroids and comets, which are relatively easy to spot because of the slower speed that makes them appear to be stationary like a star or planet, Asteroid 2001 FO32 look something like a commercial plane in terms of speed.
See also: Astronomy 2021: Full Moon, Eclipses and Meteor Displays in Hong Kong