Asteroid could impact Earth a day before U.S. election

Asteroid 2018VP1 was discovered by the Palomar Observatory in California in 2018 (Shutterstock)

An asteroid has a high (relative) probability of entering Earth’s atmosphere and crashing into Earth in November of this year, although its size is so small that it would not cause significant damage., according to calculations by NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA).

The body is called 2018VP1 and was discovered by the Palomar Observatory in California in 2018. It is an asteroid known in the scientific community to be the second most likely asteroid to hit Earth in the next 100 years, according to a list drawn up by ESA.

The star is relatively small, 2.4 meters in diameter, and has a 0.4% (1 in 240) chance of impacting Earth on November 2, 2020, according to the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory..

Its effect upon collision with the planet would vary depending on factors such as its composition, since these bodies undergo different physical changes when they enter the atmosphere at more than 11 kilometers per second. But even if it did, there is no reason to be alarmed: Scientists say 2018VP1 is so small that it cannot cause serious damage.

Because of its size, almost all of this rock that runs through the solar system disintegrates on entering the atmosphere.

In comparison, the meteor that exploded in the sky in 2013 above Tcheliabinsk, Siberia, had a estimated diameter of 15 meters and a mass of thousands of tons. The impact shattered thousands of windows and left over 1,000 injured, but no deaths.

Meteor over Tcheliabinsk, Russie (2013)

Millions of asteroids of the most different sizes roam our galaxy. Astronomers know and follow virtually anyone who could bring about an apocalypse, as they are hundreds of feet or miles in diameter, and for now none of them seem to point against our planet.

But many smaller objects remain to be discovered and followed, which is why there are many space agency programs, in particular ESA and NASA, dedicated to this end.

Just a few days ago, on August 16, an asteroid similar to 2018VP1 has traveled the Earth, traveling less than 3,000 kilometers. It was discovered a few hours after passing because it was coming from the Sun side.

As we saw in Chelyabinsk, objects of several tens of meters or more can create panic and cause great damage. Some, the more massive and dense (typically metallic) can reach the ground in the form of larger and heavier meteorites. And destroy or even have an impact on entire cities or regions.

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