Though possessing considerable size and velocity, the asteroid does not seem to pose a clear and immediate threat to our planet, as it’s apparently going to pass us by at a distance vastly exceeding that between Earth and the moon.
A massive space rock about a kilometre wide is expected to whistle past Earth next month.
Designated 231937 (2001 FO32), the asteroid should pass us on 21 March, as it cruises through the solar system at a speed of about 34.4 km/s (that’s about 123,000 km/h), according to the Daily Express.
Nevertheless, the US space agency reportedly classified the asteroid as “potentially hazardous” – the Express says status refers to “the sentiment that somewhere down the line in the solar system’s future, an asteroid could collide with Earth.”
Sourse: sputniknews.com
