Asteroid 2017 FJ101 to flyby Earth at 0.83 LD
A newly discovered asteroid designated 2017 FJ101 will flyby Earth at a distance of 0.83 LD (~318 720 km / 198 034 miles) from the surface of our planet on Thursday, March 30, 2017. This is the 15th asteroid to flyby Earth within 1 lunar distance since January 9, 2017 (according to data available September 20, 2017).
2017 FJ101 belongs to the Apollo group of asteroids. It was first observed at Pan-STARRS 1, Haleakala on March 25, 2017. Its estimated diameter is between 6.2 and 14 meters (20 – 45 feet).
The asteroid will flyby Earth at 07:51 UTC at a speed (relative to the Earth) of 11.31 km/s.
[ Ephemeris | Orbit Diagram | Orbital Elements | Physical Parameters | Close-Approach Data ]
As of March 26, there are 16 002 known near-Earth objects. 15 896 are near-Earth asteroids. Of them, 8 661 belong to the Apollo group of asteroids.
For comparison, on January 1, 2006, we knew for only 5 595 near-Earth objects, 4 412 of them were asteroids. Of that number, only 2 317 belong to the Apollo group (Earth-crossing asteroids that have an orbital semi-major axis greater than that of the Earth (> 1 AU) but perihelion distances less than the Earth's aphelion distance (q < 1.017 AU)).
References:
Asteroid 2017 FJ101 at Minor Planet Center, CNEOS
Featured image: The green line indicates the object's apparent motion relative to the Earth, and the bright green marks are the object's location at approximately one hour intervals. The Moon's orbit is gray. The blue arrow points in the direction of Earth's motion and the yellow arrow points toward the Sun. Edit: TW
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