Massive asteroid could hit Earth in 2182
July 29th, 2010 - 3:02 pm ICT by IANSLondon, July 29 (IANS) A massive asteroid might crash into Earth in 2182, scientists have warned.
The asteroid, called 1999 RQ36, has a one-in-thousand chance of actually hitting the Earth at some point before the year 2200, but is most likely to hit on Sep 24, 2182.
The asteroid was first discovered in the year 1999 and is more than 1,800 feet across. If an asteroid of this size hits the Earth it would cause widespread devastation and possible mass extinction, reports the Daily Mail.
Scientists say that any attempt to try and divert the asteroid will have to take place at least 100 years before it is due to hit to have any chance of success.
If the asteroid had not been spotted until after 2080 it would have been impossible to divert it from its target, the scientists warned in a new research paper.
While the odds may seem long, they are far shorter than that of the asteroid Apophis, which currently has a one in 250,000 chance of striking the Earth in 2036.
A competition was launched in 2008 by the Planetary Society for designs for a space probe to land on Apophis and monitor its progress.
Maria Eugenia Sansaturio and scientists from the Universidad de Valladolid in Spain have used mathematical models to calculate the risk of the asteroid hitting the Earth anytime between now and the year 2200.
The impact from the asteroid that created the famous Chicxulub crater in Mexico would have caused ‘mega-tsunamis’ many thousands of feet high.
It is believed that this asteroid led to the extinction of the dinosaurs. Scientists around the world have long been discussing ways of deflecting potentially hazardous asteroids to prevent them from hitting the Earth.
One of the more popular methods is to detonate a nuclear warhead on an approaching asteroid to deflect it from its orbital path.
Last month, physicist David Dearborn of the Lawrence Livermore National Lab in the US argued that nuclear weapons could be the best strategy for avoiding an asteroid impact - especially for large asteroids and with little warning time.
- Scientific Studies Show That An Asteroid Could Hit Earth In 2182 - Jul 31, 2010
- 1.5 km wide asteroid on collision course with Earth in 50 years - Jul 30, 2010
- Asteroid Could Hit Earth in 2182, Destroying All Life - Jul 28, 2010
- Giant Asteroid May Hit Earth In 2182 - Jul 31, 2010
- Asteroid could hit the Earth in 2182 - Jul 28, 2010
- China comes up with plan to save Earth from asteroid hit - Aug 19, 2011
- NASA Contemplating On Sending A Probe Out To The Asteroid - Aug 11, 2010
- Apophis asteroid not to strike Earth: Russian experts - Aug 30, 2012
- April 13, 2036, not 2012, is the new date for 'Armageddon' - Feb 10, 2011
- Earth may be hit by an asteroid in 160 years time - Feb 10, 2009
- NASA could land probe on asteroid hurtling towards Earth - Aug 10, 2010
- Study sheds light on asteroid deflection strategy to avert collision - Jan 29, 2011
- NASA plans to visit asteroid predicted to hit Earth - Aug 07, 2010
- NASA Plans Probe On Earth Bound Asteroid - Aug 11, 2010
- Russia plans to send a spacecraft to strike off an asteroid - Jan 03, 2010
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