It is thought that if a large asteroid hits the Earth, our end will be a disaster. While NASA and other space agencies have rolled up their sleeves for measures that can be taken before any object hits the Earth, a remarkable study has come to the fore. A new asteroid study predicts Earth will be safe for 1,000 years, IFL Science reported.
NASA and other observatories are tracking the trajectories of objects discovered in the Solar System, especially considering “near-Earth objects” (NEOs) 140 meters and larger. Because these objects can cause destruction if their paths cross with the Earth.
By observing the orbits, astrophysicists can predict the future orbits of objects and predict whether they will land in our part of the Solar System.
Astronomers were able to predict the orbits of hitherto known objects up to about 100 years later. The good news, according to NASA, is that no known asteroid greater than 140 meters has a chance of hitting Earth in the next 100 years. More good news came from a team led by Oscar Fuentes-Muñoz of the University of Colorado Boulder.
THEY PROJECTED THAT THE WORLD WILL BE SAFE FOR 1000 YEARS
Going further, the team was able to predict the paths of larger asteroids up to 1,000 years later.
The team ruled out the possibility of most near-Earth objects hitting our planet within the next 1,000 years. In other words, they estimated that most such objects would not hit the Earth in a thousand years.
They were able to predict the probability of others crashing as well.
According to the team, the probability of large asteroids and slightly smaller meteorites hitting before the year 3000 seems very low; The object most likely to hit us is 7482 (1994 PC1). However, according to the team, the probability of this object, named 7482, coming closer to the Earth than the Moon is only 0.00151 percent.
Of course, not all near-Earth objects have been found. However, according to estimates, 95 percent of objects larger than 1 kilometer in diameter have been found.
Therefore, there is a possibility that one of the ones we haven’t found yet is coming towards us.
NASA, on the other hand, continues its preparations for this possibility, and last year it managed to change the direction of an asteroid by crashing a probe.
The team also hopes that approach methods can be used to detect potentially dangerous objects.
The article has been accepted for publication in the peer-reviewed scientific journal The Astronomical Journal.