4 Asteroids To Fly Past Earth This Weekend, NASA Data Reveals

KEY POINTS

NASA is monitoring 4 asteroids that will approach Earth this weekend
The biggest asteroid in the group measures about 233 feet wide

NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) is currently monitoring four asteroids that are currently headed for Earth.

According to CNEOS, two asteroids will fly past Earth on Saturday. The first one has been identified as 2020 FW5. This asteroid has an estimated diameter of about 138 feet. It is currently moving across space towards Earth at a speed of about 30,000 miles per hour.

The second asteroid that will visit Earth’s vicinity on Saturday is known as 2020 FE2. According to CNEOS, this asteroid is about as big as 2020 FW5. The agency estimated that 2020 FE2 is traveling across the Solar System with an average velocity of almost 16,000 miles per hour.

2020 FW5 is expected to approach Earth on March 28 at 1:15 am EDT. During this time, the asteroid will be about 0.02387 astronomical units from Earth’s center, which is equivalent to about 2.2 million miles away.

2020 FE2, on the other hand, will approach Earth from a much closer distance than 2020 FW5. According to CNEOS, 2020 FE2 will fly past the planet on March 28 at 8:14 am EDT from a distance of about 0.01160 astronomical units or about 1.1 million miles away.

On Sunday, Earth will get a visit from an asteroid known as 2010 GD35. This is the biggest asteroid to approach Earth this weekend. According to CNEOS, it has an estimated diameter of about 233 feet. It is traveling towards Earth at a speed of almost 27,000 miles per hour.

Trailing behind 2010 GD35 is a space rock called 2020 FK4. CNEOS noted that this asteroid measures about 62 feet wide. It will approach Earth with an average speed of almost 12,000 miles per hour.

According to CNEOS, 2010 GD35 is expected to zip past Earth on March 29 at 2:19 pm EDT from a distance of 0.03908 astronomical units or around 3.6 million miles away.

As for 2020 FK4, this asteroid will enter Earth’s neighborhood on Sunday at 5:41 pm EDT. During this time, it will be about 0.01135 astronomical units or 1 million miles from the planet’s center.