Such a probability is in the realm that most people consider a practical concern. The theory is that an asteroid that was expected to come within 2,000 miles of Earth will eventually miss it by hundreds of thousands of miles just from one bump, Wordon said. On the low end of the local scale is the fall of meteorites that seem to have a propensity for conking cars (for example, the October 9, 1992 fall in Peekskill, New York, that demolished an old Chevrolet). Itâs not a matter of if, but when. Learn how our members and community are changing the worlds. VIDEO: A look back at Earth's close encounters with asteroids through the years. For full functionality of this site it is necessary to enable JavaScript. According to the data collected by the agency, the approaching asteroid is about as tall as a skyscraper.
'We have objects, asteroids of this size that pass within 5 million miles of the earth six, seven times out of the year," he said.
Thus, it is providential that a straightforward survey strategy address the greatest hazard (largest objects) first and evolve to evaluate more thoroughly the lesser hazard as time progresses. In fact, while asteroid 2006 QQ23 is considered to be a "potentially hazardous asteroid," its passage will be about 5 million miles away from Earth, "just barely into the zone that we start to keep closer track of these objects," NASA Planetary Defense Officer Lindley Johnson told ABC News. Another area of uncertainty arises from variations in the nature of potential impactors.
Assuming that the cosmic impact is not misinterpreted as a hostile nuclear attack set in motion by a real or imagined enemy, the remaining civilizations of the world would presumably remain stable and would be able to supply aid and comfort to the afflicted area. The animation depicts a mapping of the positions of known near-Earth objects (NEOs) at points in time over the past 20 years, and finishes with a map of all known asteroids as of January 2018. Scientists have been aware of its existence since 2006, Paul Chodas, director of NASA's Center for Near Earth Object Studies, told ABC News. However, extremely low-probability events such as cosmic impacts are beyond our personal and even historical experience, requiring that we take a long-term view in evaluating the hazard and relating it to everyday life. Expansion of gambling in the US wins big at polls.
Due to its massive size and Earth-crossing orbit, 2008 TZ3 is considered as potentially hazardous. As we begin to utilize space, the metals and volatiles (chiefly water) we find in these objects may become vital space resources.