“Huge Asteroid to pass by Earth on 21 March”, says NASA

The biggest Asteroid to pass planet Earth this year on 21^st March will reach about 1.25 million miles (Two million Kilometers) said by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

The American space agency said that they will give permission to astronomers to get a close look at an asteroid.

The agency further added to their statement,

“The asteroid, 2001 FO32, is estimated to be about 3,000 feet (915 meters) in diameter and was discovered 20 years ago”

“We know the orbital path of 2001 FO32 around the sun very accurately,” said Paul Chodas, director of the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies. “There is no chance the asteroid will get any closer to Earth than 1.25 million miles,”

That is roughly 5.25 times the distance of the Earth from the Moon but still close enough for 2001 FO32 to be classified as a “potentially hazardous asteroid.” NASA added.

Lance Benner, principal scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory said in his statement that,

“Currently, little is known about this object, so the very close encounter provides an outstanding opportunity to learn a great deal about this asteroid,”

NASA hoped that their astronomers get a better understanding of the asteroid’s size and the idea of its composition by studying light reflecting off its surface.

“When sunlight hits an asteroid’s surface, minerals in the rock absorb some wavelengths while reflecting others,” NASA said. “By studying the spectrum of light reflecting off the surface, astronomers can measure the chemical ‘fingerprints of the minerals on the surface of the asteroid.”

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