Cosmic Events, Solar System, The Universe and Natural World

Three newly-discovered asteroids flew past Earth within 1 lunar distance on March 23, 2021 -- 2021 FO1, 2021 FH, and 2021 FP2. This pushed the number of known <1LD asteroid flybys this year to 33.

2021 FO1 was first observed at Mt. Lemmon Survey, Arizona on March 20, three days before its close approach at 0.84 LD / 0.00215 AU (321 635 km / 199 850 miles).

It belongs to the Apollo group of asteroids and has an estimated diameter between 3.4 and 7.6 m (11 - 25 feet).

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[ Ephemeris | Orbit Diagram | Orbital Elements | Physical Parameters | Close-Approach Data ]

2021 FH was first observed at Mt. Lemmon Survey on March 18, five days before its close approach.

It has an estimated diameter between 12 and 28 m (39 - 91.8 feet) and belongs to the Apollo group of asteroids.

The object flew past us at a distance of 0.61 LD / 0.00157 AU (234 870 km / 145 940 miles).

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[ Ephemeris | Orbit Diagram | Orbital Elements | Physical Parameters | Close-Approach Data ]

2021 FP2 flew past us at a distance of 0.84 LD / 0.00216 AU (323 130 km / 200 780 miles).

It has an estimated diameter between 2.5 and 5.7 m (8.2 - 18.7 feet) and belongs to the Apollo group of asteroids.

The object was first observed at Mt. Lemmon Survey on March 22, one day before its close approach.

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[ Ephemeris | Orbit Diagram | Orbital Elements | Physical Parameters | Close-Approach Data ]

Asteroid 2021 FO1 at Minor Planet Center; CNEOS

AsteroidH 2021 FH at Minor Planet Center; CNEOS

Asteroid 2021 FP2 at Minor Planet Center; CNEOS