The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) nearly issued a warning after it predicted that an asteroid the size of a football pitch would zoom past Earth on Friday (February 2).
The asteroid in question, named 2008 OS7, has been classified as potentially hazardous and is expected to come within 1.7 million miles of Earth – about seven times further out than the Moon – at a speed of around 11 miles per second, the Telegraph reported.
2008 OS7 has been identified as being potentially hazardous because it comes reasonably close to our planet and could, therefore, cause significant damage in the event of an impact.
NASA nearly issued a warning after it predicted that an asteroid the size of a football pitch would zoom past Earth on Friday (February 2)
Image credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU
The vast distance is close. In fact, it’s close enough for the asteroid to have been put on NASA’s watch to attentively monitor its approach, scheduled for 2.41 pm GMT (the local time in the UK) on Friday.
It is estimated that a strike by an asteroid 1,500ft in diameter landing on a city would cause a crater 11 miles wide, instantly vaporizing over 2 million people, the Telegraph reported. Its fireball release would probably kill a further 11 million people.
Dr. Minjae Kim, a research fellow in the University of Warwick’s physics department, said: “We don’t need to worry about it too much, as this asteroid will not enter Earth’s atmosphere, while it will still approach close to the Earth.
Image credits: AsteroidWatch
“There are millions of asteroids in our solar system, of which around 2,350 asteroids have been classified as potentially hazardous.
“One of the most intriguing aspects of the 2008 OS7 is its estimated diameter based on its luminosity and reflective properties, which ranges from 725ft to 1,622ft."
“This places it in the category of a small to moderately sized asteroid, roughly equivalent to the size of a football field.”
The asteroid in question, named 2008 OS7, has been classified as potentially hazardous and is expected to come within 1.7 million miles of Earth
Image credits: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Asteroid risk and monitoring is carried out by the Center for Near Earth Object Studies at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Most asteroids and comets have orbits that do not bring them very close to Earth, and they are only classed as dangerous if they come within 4.6 million miles and are larger than 460 feet, as per the Telegraph.
The next significant approach to Earth by a potentially hazardous asteroid will reportedly be by 99942 Apophis on April 14, 2029.
Image credits: YWNReporter
Apophis was also predicted to get dangerously close to Earth in 2068, but experts have since revised their calculations and no longer see it as a risk.
Osiris-Apex, one of NASA’s spacecrafts, is currently headed to the asteroid to study the physical changes that will result from its close encounter with Earth.
2008 OS7’s potential threat comes just days after the descent of an asteroid named 2024 BX1 hit Earth’s atmosphere but burned up upon impact, exploding and creating a fireball seen by observers across Europe.
Asteroid risk and monitoring is carried out by the Center for Near Earth Object Studies at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Image credits: AsteroidWatch
Videos shared on social media showed the glowing 3.3-foot (1-meter) wide asteroid descent over Europe. 2024 BX1 was originally captured by a livestream camera set up in the German city of Leipzig in a post on X (formerly Twitter), CBS News reported.
The asteroid “probably dropped some meteorites on the ground” as it zoomed through the atmosphere and broke apart, Denis Vida, a Ph.D. associate in meteor physics at Western University in Canada, wrote alongside the video. He clarified in an email to CBS News that the asteroid began to disintegrate about 50 kilometers, or about 30 miles, west of Berlin.
Image credits: Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory
Asteroids wiping out our civilization aren’t as likely as shown in Hollywood movies.
In fact, NASA has established a Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO), managed in the Planetary Science Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C.
The PDCO ensures the early detection of potentially hazardous objects (PHOs) – asteroids and comets whose orbits are predicted to bring them within 0.05 Astronomical Units of Earth (5 million miles or 8 million kilometers) and of a size large enough to reach Earth’s surface – that is: greater than approximately 30 to 50 meters.
NASA tracks and characterizes these objects and issues warnings about potential impacts, providing timely and accurate information. NASA also leads the coordination of the U.S. Government’s planning for response to an actual impact threat, the agency explained.
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