Free Republic

2001 FO32 won't come any closer than 1.25 million miles There is no present threat of a collision with Earth, nor will there be for centuries to come. That said, 2001 FO32's path will present astronomers with a rare opportunity to closely observe the planetoid because 1.25 million miles is still relatively close in astronomical terms. NASA explained that this technicality is the reason why the asteroid has been designated "potentially hazardous" and the agency assured that NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) works to "help precisely characterize every NEO’s orbit to improve long-term hazard...

The largest asteroid to pass by Earth this year will approach within some 1.25 million miles (two million kilometers) of our planet on March 21, NASA said Thursday. The US space agency said it will allow astronomers to get a rare close look at an asteroid. The asteroid, 2001 FO32, is estimated to be about 3,000 feet (900 meters) in diameter and was discovered 20 years ago, NASA said. "We know the orbital path of 2001 FO32 around the Sun very accurately," said Paul Chodas, director of the Center for Near Earth Object Studies. "There is no chance the asteroid...