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 23^rd known asteroid to flyby Earth within 1 lunar distance since the start of the year and the 3^rd 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.