(NewsChannel2) – The largest asteroid that has been predicted to make a close approach of Earth this year will zip by from a safe distance on Sunday, according to NASA…. The largest asteroid that has been predicted to make a close approach of Earth this year will zip by from a safe distance on Sunday, according to NASA. Scientists estimate the asteroid is between 1,300 and 2,230 feet wide.
The near-Earth asteroid, known as 2001 FO32, will be 1.25 million miles, or more than five times the distance between Earth and the moon, during its closest approach. It will also be moving much faster than most asteroids that fly by our planet, rocketing along at 77,000 miles per hour.
The asteroid’s closest approach will occur at 12:03 p.m. ET Sunday. “There is no threat of a collision with our planet now or for centuries to come,” according to a release from NASA.
“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,” said Paul Chodas, director of the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies, in a statement. “There is no chance the asteroid will get any closer to Earth than 1.25 million miles.” The center is managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. READ MORE
