2020 was basically a disaster movie and 2021 isn't looking much better. As if that wasn't dystopian enough, there is now a ginormous asteroid that will be passing uncomfortably close, uncomfortably soon.
Asteroid 2001 FO32 is going to be zooming past Earth on March 21—but wait. There is no reason to start doomsday prepping yet, even though it is large enough and will be close enough to be classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA) by NASA. 2001 FO32 does sound like nightmare fuel at first. The space rock, whose orbit intersects with Earth's, will be both the biggest and fastest asteroid to pass our home turf in 2021.
Quite a lot has been going on:
Scientists prepare for their last good look at asteroid Apophis before 2029 flyby | Space
On March 5, wave hello to the most infamous asteroid that won't slam into Earth in 2029. Scientists sure will.
Astronomers first spotted the space rock now known as Apophis in 2004. It's precisely the sort of object that most humans probably want to know about: It's awfully big and occasionally comes uncomfortably close to Earth. April 13, 2029, is one such occasion, when Apophis will skim so close to Earth that it will pass through the realm of particularly high-altitude satellites .
Asteroid Day Returns To Celebrate 25 Years Of Dedicated Asteroid Missions
LUXEMBOURG , Feb. 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Asteroid Foundation's annual Asteroid Day will return on 30 June. The theme for this year will be the 25th launch anniversary of NASA's NEAR-Shoemaker spacecraft, and the 2021 launch of three new asteroid missions, NASA's Lucy, NEA Scout and DART – the world's first mission to test an asteroid deflection technique.
On 17 February 1996 , NASA launched the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR)-Shoemaker mission. It was the first mission dedicated to exploring asteroids and it became the first mission to orbit and touch down on an asteroid – paving the way for all future asteroid missions.
March 21st Asteroid to be the largest ever known to fly past Earth
Asteroid 2001 F032, popularly known to be the largest known asteroid, is now going to fly past Earth. This has been confirmed by the US-based space agency, NASA. Because of this, a number of people have been curious to know more about this Asteroid. To help them, we have gathered information about the largest asteroid to fly past Earth.
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NASA has now confirmed that the Asteroid is going to pass by Earth on March 21. According to its report, the size of the asteroid is approximately between 0.767 to 1.714 kilometers in diameter. It is approaching our solar system and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has stated that the March 21st asteroid is “potentially hazardous”. The space organisation has also identified the March 21 asteroid as 'Near Earth Object'.
Quite a lot has been going on:
Asteroid Apophis: Astronomers take stunning image of feared 'God of Chaos' | Science |
Astronomers have taken an image of asteroid Apophis from more than 15 million kilometres away, with the rock set to pass next month. The asteroid is 370 metres wide and simulations of its future orbit reveal it could one day hit Earth - although the chances are virtually non-existent.
Apophis will fly by Earth at a distance of 15 million kilometres next month - a distance which will not influence the orbital path of the asteroid but will be close enough to see for the average person using telescopes.
Interview: Unistellar scientific officer discusses near-Earth asteroids
Adam spoke to Frank Marchis, the chief scientific officer at Unistellar, to learn more about an asteroid that’ll fly near earth in March.
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Jason Lindsey from Hooked on Science joined Mae to share a few Valentine's Day themed science experiments.
A "hole punch cloud" (or "fallstreak") is circular gaps in altocumulus or cirrocumulus clouds. These mid- to high-level clouds are composed of "supercooled" water droplets, or liquid droplets much colder than freezing but that have yet to actually freeze. What's missing? Ice crystals.
Asteroid twice as big as Statue of Liberty and 'potentially hazardous' heading near
This means it is travelling at 30,240 kilometres an hour, meaning it could travel around Earth in one hour.
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Nonetheless, NASA has described the asteroid as a 'Near Earth Object' (NEO), which allows NASA to study the history of the solar system.
NASA said on its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) website: “NEOs are comets and asteroids that have been nudged by the gravitational attraction of nearby planets into orbits that allow them to enter the Earth’s neighbourhood.
DART Launch Moves to Secondary Window | NASA
Happening on Twitter
Asteroid the size of the Golden Gate Bridge will whiz past Earth in March https://t.co/FvCf9COYYV https://t.co/W1Y9Hy76Ed LiveScience (from NYC) Wed Feb 10 13:56:03 +0000 2021
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