Large Asteroid To Zip Past Earth At 124,000 kmph

NASA says 2001 FO32 will pass by at about 124,000 kilometres per hour (77,000 miles per hour) faster than the speed at which most asteroids encounter Earth.

The largest asteroid to pass by Earth this year will swing closest on Sunday, giving astronomers a rare chance for a good look at a space rock that formed at the dawn of our solar system. While in astronomical terms this marks a close encounter with the asteroid -- called 2001 FO32 -- NASA says there is no threat of a collision with our planet "now or for centuries to come". The nearest it will get will be two million kilometres (1.25 million miles) away, according to the US space agency. That is roughly 5.25 times the distance of the Earth from the Moon but still close enough for 2001 FO32 to be classified as a "potentially hazardous asteroid."