'City killer' asteroid to fly past Earth in closest approach for centuries today
A asteroid the size of a football stadium will rip past Earth within hours, NASA has announced.
The space agency describes it as 'potentially hazardous' but moved to say there is no risk of collision. Asteroid 2008 OS7, which measures about 890 feet in diameter, will pass the planet at a distance of around 1,770,000 miles. We won't be able to see it whizz by, experts say, but the good news is that it poses no danger.
"We don't need to worry about it too much as this asteroid will not enter Earth's atmosphere, while this will still approach close to the Earth," said Dr Minjae Kim from Department of Physics at University of Warwick in England. "2008 OS7, a very small asteroid whose orbit intersects with that of Earth. It has been classified as a potentially hazardous asteroid. There are more than millions of asteroids in our solar system, of which approximately 2,350 asteroids have been classified as PHAs." The next significant approach to Earth by a PHA will be the 99942 Apophis on April 14 2029.
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NASA have moved to reassure people that there is no risk of collision (stock image) (Getty Images)But we are unlikely to be able to see it. She added: "Unfortunately, asteroids are generally too faint to have been detected by the current techniques and surveys, so it's very hard to see by our naked eyes. The only asteroids at all visible to the naked eye so far are Pallas and Vesta, having diameters of about 500 km."
Green comet last seen by Neanderthals 50,000 years ago to fly past earth tonight
It's arrival comes four days after asteroid spanning a significant 71 metres will pass over Earth on Tuesday January 30. The asteroid has been named 2007 EG according to the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. It was believed to be around 71 metres in diameter, and NASA calculations thankfully calculate that it won’t come anywhere near Earth as it flies past.
Scientists have long been attempting to ascertain how to prevent an asteroid from hitting Earth in the event that a repeat of the dinosaur-age disaster were to come upon us. There has been progression in their attempts to create a protective measure for planetary defence - most notably kinetic deflection.
This method of defence alters the orbital path of a far-away asteroid, ensuring it isn’t heading for Earth as it looms close. It is demonstrated by NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) Mission, which successfully altered an asteroid’s orbital path. This means 2007 EG was never a major risk to Earth, according to the Jerusalem Post.
The 2007 FT3 asteroid is one which could be on a collision course with Earth later this year and end life as we know it - but NASA aren’t entirely sure where it is. The 54-million ton, 1,030 foot space rock was spotted for just over a day 16 years ago before it became too faint and vanished. Officially dubbed a lost asteroid, it was observed long enough for scientists to work out its orbit and any potential points it could hit our planetary home.
NASA's Center for Near Earth Object Studies identified dozens of possible impacts- including one this autumn, on October 5, 2024. But don’t fear if you have already made plans for Halloween - the chance of 2007 FT3 hitting us is around one in 11.5million.
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