Asteroid 2019 FC1 flew past Earth at 0.27 lunar distances, largest of the year
A relatively large asteroid designated 2019 FC1 flew past Earth at a distance of 0.27 LD / 0.00069 (103 222 km / 64 132 miles) on March 28, 2019. This is the largest known asteroid to flyby Earth within 1 lunar distance so far this year.
Asteroid 2019 FC1 belongs to the Apollo group of asteroids. It was first discovered at Mt. Lemmon Survey, Tucson, Arizona on March 29, one day after it made its close approach to Earth.
Its estimated diameter is between 20 and 45 m (65 – 147 feet) and it flew past us at a speed (relative to the Earth) of 25.92 km/s at 05:46 UTC.
[ Ephemeris | Orbit Diagram | Orbital Elements | Mission Design | Physical Parameters | Close-Approach Data ]
| NEO | DATE / TIME UTC | DISTANCE LD | AU | Diameter | ||||
| 2019 FC1 | March 28 @ 05:46 ± < 00:01 | 0.27 | 0.00069 | 20 – 45 m | ||||
| 2019 FQ | March 23 @ 18:17 UTC ± < 00:01 | 0.86 | 0.00220 | 10 – 23 m | ||||
| 2019 EA2 | March 22 @ 01:53 UTC ± 00:02 | 0.80 | 0.00205 | 18 – 40 m | ||||
| 2019 FA | March 16 @ 01:14 UTC ± < 00:01 | 0.60 | 0.00154 | 4.9 – 11 m | ||||
| 2019 EN2 | March 13 @ 23:38 UTC ± < 00:01 | 0.86 | 0.00221 | 8 – 18 m | ||||
| 2019 EH1 | March 1 @ 17:38 UTC ± < 00:01 | 0.06 | 0.00016 | 2.5 – 5.7 m | ||||
| 2019 DF | February 26 @ 21:21 UTC ± 00:09 | 0.47 | 0.00120 | 3.0 m – 6.7 m | ||||
| 2019 DG2 | Febraury 26 @ 07:39 UTC ± 07:39 | 0.61 | 0.00158 | 5.4 – 12 m | ||||
| 2019 CN5 | February 11 @ 07:23 UTC ± 00:03 | 0.31 | 0.00079 | 7.3 m – 16 m | ||||
| 2019 BZ3 | January 27 @ 23:29 ± < 00:01 | 0.13 | 0.00032 | 4.8 – 11 m | ||||
| 2019 BV1 | January 24 @ 20:53 ± < 00:01 | 0.35 | 0.00090 | 4.8 – 11 m | ||||
| 2019 BO | January 16 @ 01:13 ± 00:02 | 0.18 | 0.00046 | 6.3 – 14 m | ||||
| 2019 AE9 | January 12 @ 11:09 ± < 00:01 | 0.26 | 0.00067 | 9.9 – 22 m | ||||
| 2019 AS5 | January 8 @ 00:37 ± < 00:01 | 0.04 | 0.00010 | 0.92 – 2.1 m | ||||
This is the 14th known asteroid to flyby Earth within 1 lunar distance since the start of the year and 6th this month.
References
Asteroid 2019 FC1 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 half 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
If you value what we do here, create your ad-free account and support our journalism.
Your support makes a difference
Dear valued reader,
We hope that our website has been a valuable resource for you.
The reality is that it takes a lot of time, effort, and resources to maintain and grow this website. We rely on the support of readers like you to keep providing high-quality content.
If you have found our website to be helpful, please consider making a contribution to help us continue to bring you the information you need. Your support means the world to us and helps us to keep doing what we love.
Support us by choosing your support level – Silver, Gold or Platinum. Other support options include Patreon pledges and sending us a one-off payment using PayPal.
Thank you for your consideration. Your support is greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Teo Blašković
Commenting rules and guidelines
We value the thoughts and opinions of our readers and welcome healthy discussions on our website. In order to maintain a respectful and positive community, we ask that all commenters follow these rules:
We reserve the right to remove any comments that violate these rules. By commenting on our website, you agree to abide by these guidelines. Thank you for helping to create a positive and welcoming environment for all.