Science

Asteroid terror: How Earth dodged colossal space rock that could have caused 'devastation'


The near-Earth asteroid is a sizeable chunk of rock with a diameter of 370 meters (1214 feet). It currently holds the record of being ranked the highest ever on the Torino rating. But fortunately, (99942) Apophis was removed from the Torino Scale on 13 April 2004.

Another asteroid, 2004 VD17, was listed with a Torino Scale impact risk value of 2, this being the second asteroid in risk-monitoring history to be rated above value 1.

The Torino Scale also uses a colour code scale: white, green, yellow, orange, red with each colour having an overall meaning with red being the most severe.

A four on the Torino Scale means the close encounter rock means scientists should tell the public if the encounter is less than a decade away.

The public should worry when the scale is five or above.

Asteroid

Asteroid (Image: GETTY)

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A Torino scale of five means the space rock poses a serious, but still uncertain threat of “regional devastation”.

Critical attention by astronomers is needed to determine conclusively whether a collision will occur.

If the encounter is less than a decade away, governmental contingency planning may be warranted.

Humanity do not ever want to be informed of an asteroid on the Torino Scale that has a ranking of ten.

Asteroids

Asteroids (Image: GETTY)

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A ten means that a collision is certain, capable of causing global climatic catastrophe that may threaten the future of civilisation as we know it, whether impacting land or ocean.

Such events occur on average once per 100,000 years, or less often.

But luckily, no object has ever been rated above level 4.

Another asteroid that had a rating of 1 on the scale, but now has been downgraded to a 0, is 2011 AG5, that still has a 1 in 650 chance of hitting Earth in 2040.

Asteroids

Asteroids (Image: GETTY)

Don Yeomans, manager of NASA’s Near-Earth Object Program Office at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, said: ”In September 2013, we have the opportunity to make additional observations of 2011 AG5 when it comes within 91 million miles (147 million kilometers) of Earth.

”It will be an opportunity to observe this space rock and further refine its orbit.

“Because of the extreme rarity of an impact by a near-Earth asteroid of this size, I fully expect we will be able to significantly reduce or rule out entirely any impact probability for the foreseeable future.”

It is approximately 460 feet (140 meters) in size and its orbit carries it as far out as beyond Mars’ orbit and as close to the sun as halfway between Earth and Venus.

fact file

fact file (Image: Express)

It was discovered on Jan. 8, 2011, by astronomers using a 60-inch Cassegrain reflector telescope located at the summit of Mount Lemmon in the Catalina Mountains north of Tucson, Arizona.

The NASA administrator said: “We have to make sure that people understand that this is not about Hollywood, it’s not about the movies.

“This is about ultimately protecting the only planet we know, right now, to host life – and that is the planet Earth.”

Asteroid

Asteroid (Image: GETTY)

Another asteroid “30,000 times bigger than the dinosaurs-killer” collided 470million years ago and may have led to an increase in new species, according to new evidence.

The study was published in ’Science Advances’, led by Birger Schmitz of Lund University in Sweden.

The work suggests a distant asteroid collision produced enough dust to trigger an ice age on Earth, approximately 470million years ago.



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