'Possible collapse of civilization': a dangerous asteroid rushes to Earth

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is observing the huge asteroid 52768 (OR2 1998), which will fly close to Earth at the end of April. Writes about it "Ukrinform".

Photo: Shutterstock

If it falls to Earth, then a global catastrophe will occur.

“The asteroid is moving towards Earth at a speed of about 8,7 km per second or 19 mph (461 km/h). At this rate, the asteroid will approach Earth on April 31,” NASA said in a statement.

According to the Planetary Society, an asteroid with a diameter of more than 4 km is quite large to cause global destruction.

Planetary society lists the following consequences from it: "Crater of 10 km or more: global devastation and possible collapse of civilization."

According to Dr. Bruce Betts of an international team of astronomers, small asteroids - a few meters - often burn up in the atmosphere and cause little damage. However, asteroids the size of the 2013 Chelyabinsk meteorite - about 20 meters - create shock waves that break windows and can injure people.

The size of the Tunguska meteorite - about 40 meters - could completely destroy the city or cause a tsunami. Large asteroids could devastate an entire region, he said.

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In comparison, the asteroid believed to have killed dinosaurs was 10 km wide. According to NASA estimates, asteroid 52768 (OR2 1998) has sizes from 1,5 to 4,1 km in diameter. Astronomers classify it as a “potentially dangerous” near-Earth object.

According to scientists, in the near future the asteroid will approach our planet at a distance of approximately 0,04 astronomical units. For comparison, 205 astronomical unit—the average distance from our planet to the Sun—is about 1 million km.

In other words, it is expected that the space rock will pass at a distance of approximately 16,36 times greater than the distance from the Earth to the Moon.

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