NASA/JPL-Caltech
Asteroid 2021 EQ3, however, could have a diameter of up to 125 feet (38 meters), making it more like the size of a small apartment building. That’s also about the same size as the meteoroid that slammed into the atmosphere above Russia in 2013, creating a shock wave that blew out thousands of windows in the city of Chelyabinsk below, injuring hundreds.
Follow CNET’s 2021 Space Calendar to stay up to date with all the latest space news this year. You can even add it to your own Google Calendar.
You may have seen headlines about an #asteroid that will safely fly by Earth on March 21. While this asteroid, known as 2001 FO32, is large, it will safely zip past Earth at a distance of 1.3 million miles—five times further away than the Moon—and poses no risk of hitting Earth. pic.twitter.com/oZZG5UaFsf
Sky surveys and other telescopes spot a space rock passing closer than the moon every few days, on average. Most of these asteroids are just a few meters across, likely making them no larger than a bus.
Asteroid 2021 EQ3 will pass closer than the moon.
— NASA Asteroid Watch (@AsteroidWatch) March 8, 2021
This makes 2021 EQ3 the second largest object to come closer than the moon in 2021.
The asteroid’s size also makes it a good object to track, and the Virtual Telescope Project based in Rome will be streaming an online watch party via its website.
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