4581 Asclepius /əˈskliːpiəs/, provisional designation 1989 FC, is a sub-kilometer-sized asteroid, classified as near-Earth object and potentially hazardous asteroid of the Apollo group that makes close orbital passes with Earth.
Discovered on 31 March 1989 by American astronomers Henry Holt and Norman Thomas at Palomar Observatory, Asclepius is named after the Greek god of medicine and healing.
[4][3] Asclepius passed by Earth on 22 March 1989 at a distance of 0.00457 AU (684,000 km; 425,000 mi).
[5][6] Although this exceeds the Moon's orbital radius, the close pass received attention at that time.
[7] Geophysicists estimate that collision with Asclepius would release energy comparable to the explosion of a 600 megaton atomic bomb.