The data indicates that the object, known as 2020 PG6, is traveling at an average speed of more than 46 thousand km / h on its way to our planet.
Mexico City, August 22 (RT) .– A asteroid newly detected was immediately included in the “Risk list” of the European Space Agency (ESA), since calculations predict that it could crash against land in less than 10 years.
The agency detected the space rock this week and immediately added it to the list of near-Earth and potentially dangerous objects, since – according to calculations – it could hit our planet on August 31, 2029.
The data indicates that the object, known as 2020 PG6, is traveling at an average speed of more than 46,000 km / h on its way to Earth. Fortunately, if the asteroid deviates just a little in its path, it is unlikely to cause significant damage, since it is only about 14 meters in diameter.
However, that size is not negligible, and it resembles that of the Chelyabinsk bolide, which crashed over Russia in February 2013. The meteoroid was only 18 meters in diameter, but was large enough to cause significant damage in thousands of buildings in the area. Scientific investigations into the dramatic explosion found that the energy released by its impact was equivalent to about 30 atomic bombs.
ESA says the odds of 2020 PG6 hitting Earth in 2029 are one in 416, making it one of the most likely asteroids to collide with our planet on the risk list.
Astronomers will learn more about the newly detected asteroid when it approaches on September 2. During its next flyby, the space rock won’t come within 2.25 million kilometers of Earth, so there is no immediate reason for alarm.
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