231937 (2001 FO32)

Small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 231937 (2001 FO32)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge (0.55 km diameter)
  • Will pass within 2,016,420 km of Earth in 2021
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

231937 (2001 FO32) is a small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2001 FO32 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2001 FO32 orbits the sun every 809 days (2.21 years), coming as close as 0.30 AU and reaching as far as 3.10 AU from the sun. Its orbit is highly elliptical. 2001 FO32 is about 0.6 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than ~97% of asteroids but small compared to large asteroids, comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge.

The rotation of 2001 FO32 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 39.91 hours.

Close Approaches

2001 FO32's orbit is 0.00 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.

2001 FO32 has 5 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
March 21, 2021 2,016,420 34.413
March 22, 2052 2,832,943 33.529
March 23, 2103 3,159,110 34.445
March 25, 2134 7,156,030 32.788
March 20, 2185 11,445,004 35.852

Images and Observations

2001 FO32's orbit is determined by observations dating back to March 23, 2001. It was last officially observed on May 29, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 257 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

This asteroid is not considered a viable target for human exploration by the NHATS study.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2001 FO32:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.699 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.8258
  • Inclination: 39.0°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 181.72°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 123.37°
  • Mean Anomaly: 24.04°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 0.55000 km
  • Magnitude: 17.58

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 809 days (2.21 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 22.85 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.10 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.30 AU
  • Rotation Period: 39.91 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 231937 (2001 FO32) is indicated by a ◯ pink circle. Note that the object may not be in your current field of view. Use the controls below to adjust position, location, and time.

Size Rendering

The above comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 2001 FO32 to create an approximate landscape rendering with Mount Everest in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.