Map of the orbit of asteroid 2001 FO32 compared to Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars.
A giant asteroid passed near Earth on March 21. It is predicted to be the largest asteroid to pass near Earth in 2021.
NASA said the asteroid, called 2001 FO32, was about 1.25 million miles (2 million kilometers) away at its closest approach to Earth. This far apart, it will have no impact on Earth.
“We know very well the orbital path of 2001 FO32 around the Sun because it was discovered 20 years ago and has been tracked ever since,” said Paul Chodas, director of the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS). There is no way this asteroid could have passed Earth at a distance of less than 1.25 million miles.”
Nevertheless, 2001 FO32 is considered a “potentially hazardous asteroid,” and CNEOS calculates high-precision orbits of NEOs to improve the assessment of the long-term potential hazard of NEOs.
2001 FO32 will pass at approximately 77,000 mph (124,000 km/h). It is faster than other asteroids passing near Earth. This is due to its highly inclined and elongated orbit around the Sun, which is tilted 39 degrees with respect to the Earth’s orbital plane. It takes about 810 days to make one revolution of the Sun.
After this encounter, it could take decades before the asteroid is visible again. NASA predicts that it will not be until 2052 that 2001 FO32 will approach Earth again at a distance of 1.75 million miles (2.8 million kilometers).
Asteroid 2001 FO32 was first discovered in March 2001 during the Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) program in Socorro, New Mexico. It was initially estimated to be about 3,000 feet (1 kilometer) wide; however, follow-up observations suggest that the asteroid may be smaller, ranging from 1,300 to 2,230 feet (440 to 680 meters) wide.
Despite its relative small size, 2001 FO32 is still the largest asteroid to fly very close to Earth in 2021. The last notable close approach of a large asteroid was on April 29, 2020, with the number 1998 OR2. 2001 FO32, while smaller than 1998 OR2, is three times closer to Earth.
The March 21 pass will be an excellent opportunity for astronomers to measure its size and other physical parameters. “We’re trying to do geological studies with telescopes,” said Vishnu Reddy, an associate professor at the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory in Tucson.
“We’ll get infrared spectra to see its chemical composition,” Reddy explained. “Once we know that, we can compare it to meteorites on Earth to find out what minerals 2001 FO32 contains.”
Lance Benner, chief scientist at the U.S. Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), said, “Observations 20 years out suggest that about 15 percent of the asteroids comparable in size to 2001 FO32 have small moons.” “Very little is known about this object, so a very close pass provides an excellent opportunity to learn a great deal about this asteroid.”
Meanwhile, amateur astronomers may also have a good chance to observe 2001 FO32. “The asteroid will be at its brightest as it passes through the southern sky,” says Jodas. “Amateur astronomers in the southern hemisphere and low northern latitudes should be able to see the asteroid at night using the closest approach with a medium-sized telescope with an aperture of at least 8 inches, but they may need a star chart to find it.”
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