Jakarta –
Planet Earth potentially hit asteroid at another 23 years. The possibility is indeed very small but it is not impossible that NASA is taking it seriously.
quoted detikINET from As.com on Wednesday (15/03/2023), NASA is currently monitoring an asteroid named ‘2023 DW’ which has the possibility of hitting Earth in 23 years. The collision has the potential to occur on February 14, 2046.
The European Space Agency predicts the probability of hitting Earth is 1 in 625, while the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) estimates the probability of impact is 1 in 560. For comparison, our chances of being struck by lightning are 1 in 15,000.
Meanwhile, NASA gave it a value of 1 out of 10 on the Torino Hazard Impact Scale. The scale is intended to measure the possibility of an object hitting the Earth. Scale 1 means the object is very unlikely to hit the earth, although not impossible.
“This object is not too worried,” said Davide Farnocchia as a navigation engineer from JPL NASA. But NASA experts still warn of possible changes in the potential threat over time.
According to NASA’s monitoring system, the asteroid has a diameter of 50 meters, comparable to the height of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France. He is currently traveling at a speed of about 25 kilometers per second.
Then, what can be done if the asteroid is heading for Earth? DART technology is the solution. On September 26, 2022, a NASA spacecraft collided with the asteroid Dimorphos. The goal is to change its orbit so that the debris does not crash into Earth in the future.
The test was successful and the asteroid left its orbit. “That’s the reason for doing the mission,” said Farnocchia about DART. “The mission was a tremendous success,” he added.
*This article was written by Mahendra Lavidavayastama, participant of the Merdeka Campus Certified Internship Program at detikcom
Watch Video “ The ‘Christmas Asteroid’ Closer to Earth, What Is It?“
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