According to calculations made by NASA astronomers, the world could this day be hit by an asteroid the size of an Olympic swimming pool. According to the space agency, this can potentially lead to major damage. Subject director at the Norwegian Space Centre, Terje Wahl, can still reassure you that on closer inspection you often find that these objects will not hit after all. At the top of the risk list Just over a week ago, NASA discovered an asteroid of around fifty meters in diameter with a potential course straight towards us. The asteroid then climbed straight to the top of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) list of potentially dangerous Earth-bound objects. 400 people are said to have been injured when a meteor shower hit central parts of Russia back in 2013. Small chance – What consequences could such a coincidence have? – An asteroid 50 meters in diameter is in no way something we want in our neighbourhood, but the chance that such objects will hit us is very small, Wahl answers. This is confirmed by ESA, which estimates the chance of coincidence at 1 in 652 chance of actually hitting the Earth. Wahl says that such a coincidence could lead to major material damage and, in the worst case, death. – But this is nowhere near a civilization-destroying asteroid, like the one that killed the dinosaurs, he explains. In 2013 at the latest, a 20-metre asteroid fell over Russia. Not abnormal According to Wahl, it is not abnormal for the various space agencies around the world to discover objects that will potentially have an orbit towards our little blue planet. – And they then shoot to the top of this risk list before, after further investigations, they turn out to miss the mark anyway and are then moved down, he says. – Not something you wish for. Wahl explains that asteroids come in many different sizes. From just a few meters small, to several kilometers large. – Many may remember the one that fell on Russia a few years ago. It blew out windows and injured several people. It was twenty meters in size, so if this one is fifty, it is not something we want between us and the moon, he replies. In a post on Twitter, NASA writes that they will continue to follow the asteroid on its journey through space. They are clear that today’s estimated trajectory can change continuously.
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The asteroid “2023 WD” tops Nasa’s risk list – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
