The largest asteroid known to be passing near Earth this year will also be one of the fastest rocks to cruise past our planet, and it’s all happening March 21.
Before you panic, just know this: though it’s been classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid — because of its size and frequency of passing near Earth — but there’s no risk of impact, according to EarthSky.
Asteroid 2001 FO32, which is approximately .6 miles in diameter, has been compared to the length of the Golden Gate Bridge, although it’s not quite as long.
If you’re thinking that’s impressive, the rock will be cruising through space at about 76,980 mph — or 21 miles per second, relative to Earth.
By comparison, EarthSky reports our planet travels around the sun at about 18 miles per second.
Source: Largest asteroid to fly past Earth this year is coming soon — and it’s huge
