Massive asteroid moving towards Earth at a fast pace: NASA
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NEW YORK: A massive asteroid classified by astronomers as ‘potentially hazardous’ – is hurtling towards Earth.
The asteroid named 2014 JO25 will fly past our planet safely on 19th April at 4.6 lunar distances which is 1.1 million miles.
It will be the closest flyby by a massive piece of space rock in over a decade.
According to NASA says, “The 2017 flyby is the closest by an asteroid at least this large since the encounter by 4179 Toutatis at four lunar distances in September 2004.”
He added, “The next known flyby by an object with a comparable or larger diameter will occur when 800-m-diameter asteroid 1999 AN10 approaches within one lunar distance in August 2027.”
Scientists from the United Kingdom scientists have warned that governments need to spend ‘hundreds of millions’ on anti-asteroid systems in order to keep the planets safe.
British astronomer Lord Martin Rees said, “I think we are all aware that we on planet earth are vulnerable to impacts from outside we know evidence these have happened in the past.”
“It may not be the greatest risk or highest profile short term risk confronting earth, but if you make an assessment of what insurance premium it is worth paying in order to reduce impact, you would come up with a figure of several hundred million euros a year – which the world should be spending to reduce this risk,” he added.
He added that asteroids pose a threat to the earth and recent advances in sensor technology have radically improved our ability to detect and deflect these objects.
