Astronomy and Space

(175706) 1996 FG3

(175706) 1996 FG3 is a carbonaceous asteroid and binary system, classified as a near-Earth object and potentially hazardous asteroid of the Apollo group, approximately 1.7 kilometers (1.1 miles) in diameter. The primary has a spheroidal shape. Its minor-planet moon measures approximately 490 meters (1,600 feet) in diameter. It was discovered on 24 March 1996, by Australian astronomer Robert McNaught at Siding Spring Observatory in New South Wales, Australia. The asteroid was a target of NASA's Janus Serenity space probe, until the delay of the rocket launch made the target inaccessible. In 2017, scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Purple Mountain Observatory revealed a plan to land a probe on this asteroid in 2029, as part of an asteroid exploration mission.

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See also

• ▸Beta Aurigae
• ▸Achaemenid architecture
• ▸Gaia (spacecraft)

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