| This is an artist impression obtained from The University of Warwick and The University of Cambridge shows a rocky and water-rich asteroid being torn apart by the strong gravity of the white dwarf star GD 61. AFP PHOTO / Image copyright Mark A. Garlick, space-art.co.uk, The University of Warwick and The University of Cambridge |
WASHINGTON: NASA says a big asteroid that whizzed by Earth last month unnoticed is probably nothing to worry about when it returns much closer in 19 years.
NASA Near-Earth Object program manager Donald Yeomans said there is a 1 in 48,000 chance that the 1,300-foot (400-meter) asteroid will hit Earth when it returns on Aug. 26, 2032.
The asteroid called 2013 TV135 was discovered Oct. 8, nearly a month after it came within 4.2 million miles (6.7 million kilometers) of Earth. Yeomans said as astronomers observe and track it better, they will likely calculate that it has no chance of hitting Earth.
Although big, the asteroid is considerably smaller than the type that caused the dinosaur extinction.
NASA posted a "reality check" about the asteroid in response to some media reports.
NASA Near-Earth Object program manager Donald Yeomans said there is a 1 in 48,000 chance that the 1,300-foot (400-meter) asteroid will hit Earth when it returns on Aug. 26, 2032.
The asteroid called 2013 TV135 was discovered Oct. 8, nearly a month after it came within 4.2 million miles (6.7 million kilometers) of Earth. Yeomans said as astronomers observe and track it better, they will likely calculate that it has no chance of hitting Earth.
Although big, the asteroid is considerably smaller than the type that caused the dinosaur extinction.
NASA posted a "reality check" about the asteroid in response to some media reports.
