spacetoday.net: Small asteroid to make close flyby of Earth Thursday

Small asteroid to make close flyby of Earth Thursday

Posted: Thu, Mar 18, 2004, 11:09 AM ET (1609 GMT)
A newly-discovered small asteroid will pass very close to the Earth late Thursday but does not pose any risk of impact. Asteroid 2004 FH was discovered Monday night by the LINEAR asteroid survey in New Mexico and is estimated to be about 30 meters in diameter. According to observations of the asteroid made since Monday, the object will pass just 43,000 kilometers from the Earth's surface on Thursday at 5:08 pm EST (2208 GMT). That altitude—just above geosynchronous orbit—makes this flyby the closest approach of an asteroid to Earth recorded. Astronomers stressed, however, that the small object had no chance of actually colliding with the Earth.