- NASA lost sight of a gigantic asteroid years ago
- It now appears to be on its way towards Earth
What’s the biggest thing you’ve ever lost? Maybe a jacket or a suitcase? Or maybe something much bigger, like a car? Whatever it is, it’s unlikely to be as large as the asteroid NASA lost in 2007. Yes, an entire asteroid disappeared from science instruments. But to be fair, the universe is really, really big, and experts have a lot to worry about.
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Lost Asteroid 2007 FT3
The asteroid in question is named 2007 FT3, according to the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Of particular concern is that there is a chance it could hit Earth.
The asteroid is not big enough to cause a dinosaur extinction level event with its impact, but it is certainly big enough to do incalculable damage. If it were to actually hit Earth, it could release energy at the level of approximately 2.6 billion tons of TNT. That’s 2,600 megatons of TNT, or about 48 Car bombs, the most destructive bomb of all time.
The potential impact was predicted for October 5 this year. Still, you probably don’t need to cancel your Halloween plans because the likelihood of an impact is extremely small. Scientists have calculated that it is 1 in 11 million. However, the impact may also occur in the period between 2024 and 2116.
Source: Bing Image Creator (generated by AI)
NASA leaves nothing to chance
Asteroid 2007 FT3 is tracked by NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS). Scientists are monitoring thousands of similar near-Earth bodies because even a slight and unexpected change in their orbit could send them on a deadly collision with Earth. Astronomers therefore constantly recalculate orbits.
However, an asteroid named 29075 (1950 DA), which is large enough to cause the end of not only humanity, but possibly even life on Earth, is also giving scientists and astronomers big wrinkles on their foreheads.
Preview photo source: urikyo33 / Pixabay, source: Daily Express
2024-01-01 10:41:53
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