Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 03, 2025

Don't panic, but the largest asteroid flyby of 2021 is happening this week

Don't panic, but the largest asteroid flyby of 2021 is happening this week

Every so often, an asteroid comes close enough to Earth to get people a bit nervous.

With scenes from Armageddon forever imprinted on our brains, a devastating space impact is something we’re obviously keen to avoid.

That’s why Nasa and other space agencies routinely keep track of known chunks of space rock zipping around the solar system.

On Sunday, March 21, the largest asteroid flyby of 2021 will take place when a boulder larger than the UK’s tallest mountain, Ben Nevis, passes Earth.

The asteroid, known as 231937 (2001 FO32), will zoom by at a safe distance of 1.2 million miles from Earth – the equivalent of five times further away than the Moon.

In fact, Nasa dubs any space rock that comes within 93 million miles of us as a ‘Near Earth Object’ (NEO), which is three quarters of the 120 million-mile distance to Mars.

Asteroid 231937 is the largest to ‘come close’ to the Earth this year and, at 1.7km is bigger than Ben Nevis and more than twice the size of the tallest building on Earth – the Burj Khalifa.

A size comparison of asteroid 231937 (2001 FO32)


It was picked up on by Good Morning Britain’s Laura Tobin who urged viewers not to panic.

‘I’m here to say don’t panic. It is not going to hit us, but boy is it going to get close,’ she said.

Her warning is echoed by Nasa, which states plainly that asteroid 2001 FO32 poses ‘no threat of a collision with our planet now or for centuries to come.’

Paul Chodas, director of the Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS), which is managed by Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory explained: ‘We know the orbital path of 2001 FO32 around the sun very accurately, since it was discovered 20 years ago and has been tracked ever since.

‘There is no chance the asteroid will get any closer to Earth than 1.25 million miles.’

During the approach this weekend, 2001 FO32 will pass by at about 77,000 mph (124,000 kph) – which is faster than the speed at which most asteroids encounter Earth.

The reason for the asteroid’s unusually speedy close approach is its highly inclined and elongated (or eccentric) orbit around the sun, an orbit that is tilted 39 degrees to Earth’s orbital plane.

This orbit takes the asteroid closer to the sun than Mercury and twice as far from the sun as Mars.

Can I see the asteroid?

You’ll need some gear to spot the asteroid

Yes, but you’ll need some equipment to do so.

It should be possible to see the asteroid through an eight inch aperture telescope just after sunset on March 21.

To pick it out, you’ll need to be looking slightly above the southern horizon.

‘The asteroid will be brightest while it moves through southern skies,’ said JPL’s Chodas.

‘Amateur astronomers in the southern hemisphere and at low northern latitudes should be able to see this asteroid using moderate size telescopes with apertures of at least 8 inches in the nights leading up to closest approach, but they will probably need star charts to find it.’

Asteroid 2001 FO32 was actually detected way back in 2001 by telescopes in New Mexico that are part of the Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) program.

Over 95% of near-Earth asteroids the size of 2001 FO32 or larger have been discovered, tracked, and cataloged, Nasa says.

The trajectory of asteroid 2001 FO32


None of the large asteroids in the catalog has any chance of impacting Earth over the next century, and it is extremely unlikely that any of the remaining undiscovered asteroids of this size could impact Earth, either.

Still, space agencies around the world are tasked with discovering all asteroids that could pose an impact hazard.

The more information that can be gathered about these objects, the better mission designers can prepare to deflect them if any were to threaten Earth in the future.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Harvard Urges US to Unfreeze Funds for Public Health Research
Businessman Mauled by Lion at Luxury Namibian Lodge
Researchers Consider New Destinations Beyond the U.S.
53-Year-Old Doctor Claims Biological Age of 23
Trump Struggles to Secure Trade Deals With China and Europe
Russia to Return 6,000 Corpses Under Ukraine Prisoner Swap Deal
Microsoft Lays Off Hundreds More Amid Restructuring
Harvey Weinstein’s Publicist Embraces Notoriety
Macron and Meloni Seek Unity Despite Tensions
Trump Administration Accused of Obstructing Deportation Cases
Newark Mayor Sues Over Arrest at Immigration Facility
Center-Left Candidate Projected to Win South Korean Presidency
Trump’s Tariffs Predicted to Stall Global Economic Growth
South Korea’s President-Elect Expected to Take Softer Line on Trump and North Korea
Trump’s China Strategy Remains a Geopolitical Puzzle
Ukraine Executes Long-Range Drone Strikes on Russian Airbases
Conservative Karol Nawrocki wins Poland’s presidential election
Study Identifies Potential Radicalization Risk Among Over One Million Muslims in Germany
Good news: Annalena Baerbock Elected President of the UN General Assembly
Apple Appeals EU Law Over User Data Sharing Requirements
South Africa: "First Black Bank" Collapses after Being Looted by Owners
Poland will now withdraw from the EU migration pact after pro-Trump nationalist wins Election
"That's Disgusting, Don’t Say It Again": The Trump Joke That Made the President Boil
Trump Cancels NASA Nominee Over Democratic Donations
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OnlyFans for Sale: From Lockdown Lifeline to Eight-Billion-Dollar Empire
Mayor’s Security Officer Implicated | Shocking New Details Emerge in NYC Kidnapping Case
Hegseth Warns of Potential Chinese Military Action Against Taiwan
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Jamie Dimon Warns U.S. Bond Market Faces Pressure from Rising Debt
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Taylor Swift Gains Ownership of Her First Six Albums
Bangkok Ranked World's Top City for Remote Work in 2025
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
×