This doesn’t exactly sound reassuring, but he adds that there’s no need to worry about Asteroid 2001 FO32: “The good thing is that, because of observations by many astronomers, we know it cannot hit us for at least the next 200 years.” While it will have close approaches in that time – such as on March 22, 2052 – these actually provide useful opportunities to study large, near-Earth asteroids and learn more about them, “and we can do so without worry”.

In fact, it seems like we’re relatively safe from asteroid threats for some time?

According to Fitzsimmons: “NASA-funded searches have now discovered almost all of those larger asteroids and determined they are not a risk in the next couple of centuries.” Now, he adds, it’s important to focus on smaller asteroids: “to discover them and find out where they are going.” Asteroids that stand a chance of passing through the atmosphere and hitting the ground pass us closer than the moon approximately every five to 10 years.