An asteroid similar in size to the Golden Gate Bridge will whip past Earth later this month — the largest and fastest asteroid to pass close to our planet this year.
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The asteroid, officially known by NASA as 231937 ( 2001 FO32 ), is about 0.5 to 1 mile in diameter, making it larger than about 97% of asteroids but small compared to large asteroids, according to Space Reference . It has an orbit period of 810 days.
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Asteroid Apophis: Huge 'God Of Chaos' Rock Will This Weekend Flyby Earth But What Happens Next
Apophis, the most famous 'potentially hazardous' asteroid, will make a close approach to Earth this ... [+] weekend.
Telescopes will be trained to the night sky this weekend as an icy peanut-shaped chunk of space rock nearly as tall as the Empire State building makes its closest approach to our planet on March 5, 2021.
Although there's no danger to Earth this time, the once-a-decade flyby of the infamous near-Earth asteroid Apophis—officially called 99942 Apophis and named after the Egyptian god of chaos—is an important opportunity for astronomers to get ahead of a potentially devastating event in the near future.
WEBXTRA: TJC prepares for asteroid flyby
TYLER, Texas (KLTV) - KLTV's Jamey Boyum talks with TJC Earth and Space Science Centers Beau Hartweg about a near Earth asteroid flying by Friday night.
See Jupiter and Mercury align in the sky and an asteroid flyby this weekend
(CNN) — The solar system’s largest and smallest planets will be in alignment this Friday.
In the morning, Mercury and Jupiter will be in conjunction and appear just above the horizon, according to NASA .
A conjunction is when two objects appear close together in the sky, but they can actually be millions of miles apart, according to Thomas Beatty, assistant astronomer at Steward Observatory at the University of Arizona in Tucson.
Many things are taking place:
'God of Chaos' asteroid to pass by Earth this week | Fox News
Named for the Egyptian deity and scientifically known as 99942 Apophis, the more-than 1,000-foot-wide space rock will skate past the blue marble at around 8:15 p.m. ET traveling at a distance of about 10 million miles away, according to NASA .
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The Near-Earth Object (NEO) , made of both rock and metal, will then continue on a path around the sun .
They'll use planetary radar -- although no longer having access to Puerto Rico's Arecibo Observatory radio telescope -- as a kind of sonogram to detect the asteroid's shape, orbit and whether or not there are boulders on its surface, according to Space.com .
Just passing by: What to expect from Asteroid Apophis | KSL.com
OUTER SPACE — As the dust of 2020 settles, we may find ourselves asking, what's next? While we never know what Jumanji has in store, one thing is sure: check "Doomsday Asteroid" off the list. Asteroid Apophis is going to be a cinch.
On Friday, an asteroid known by its threatening nickname Apophis will harmlessly fly within about 10 million miles of Earth. The near-Earth object, or NEO, will continue on its path around the sun, on a path which space.com said has been unnoticed by humans for millennia.
Future interstellar comet? Spewing object spotted in asteroid group near Jupiter | Space
Researchers spotted a celestial object strangely outgassing far from the sun — like a comet — during a long road trip through our solar system that could conclude in interstellar space, NASA says.
The object is temporarily circling the sun in a group of ancient asteroids called Trojans, which are trapped by Jupiter's gravity and moving alongside the planet. New images from the Hubble Space Telescope revealed the cosmic interloper in its temporary parking spot, merrily spewing gas into space despite its great distance from the sun.
'God of Chaos' asteroid zooms past Earth Friday | wtsp.com
An asteroid named 99942 Apophis will whiz by Earth on Friday. Rest assured, there is no chance for Apophis to strike Earth during this flyby.
Large asteroid Apophis will safely fly by Earth on Friday https://t.co/MGed9Sdprs pic.twitter.com/tOvDyiNECk
The more-than 1,000-foot-wide space rock will safely pass Earth at around 8:15 p.m. ET, traveling at a distance of about 10 million miles away, according to NASA .
Happening on Twitter
An asteroid the size of the Golden Gate Bridge is zooming by Earth on the first full day of spring https://t.co/iWI2bmhpBq CBSNews (from New York, NY) Wed Mar 03 19:30:00 +0000 2021
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