Asteroid 2018 FZ3 to flyby Earth at 0.5 LD on March 23
A newly discovered asteroid designated 2018 FZ3 will flyby Earth at a distance of 0.5 LD / 0.00129 AU (~192 981 km / 119 912 miles) on March 23, 2018. This the 23rd known asteroid to flyby Earth within 1 lunar distance since the start of the year and the 3rd since March 18.
This Apollo class asteroid was first observed at Mt. Lemmon Survey on March 21, 2018, 2 days before its closest approach.
It has an estimated diameter between 8.4 and 19 m (27.5 – 62.3 feet) and will flyby our planet at 16:21 UTC on March 23 at a speed (relative to the Earth) of 14.09 km/s.
[ Ephemeris | Orbit Diagram | Orbital Elements | Physical Parameters | Close-Approach Data ]
Reference:
Asteroid 2018 FZ3 at Minor Planet Center; at 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 grey. The blue arrow points in the direction of Earth's motion and the yellow arrow points toward the Sun. Credit: Minor Planet Center.
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