Potentially Hazardous Asteroid That Is Larger Than Burj Khalifa To Fly Past Earth On February 4

A rock of this size could plunge Earth into a mini-ice age, if it hits

Published: January 18, 2018 3:17 PM IST

By India.com Buzz Desk

Potentially Hazardous Asteroid That Is Larger Than Burj Khalifa To Fly Past Earth On February 4
Image: YouTube/ New Technology

A potentially hazardous gigantic asteroid is due to slip past Earth on February 4 this year. The asteroid is reportedly larger than the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has stated that the 2002 AJ129 asteroid will fly past at speeds of 67,000mph (107,826kmh) and has called it “potentially hazardous”. The speed at which the asteroid is expected to fly past on February 4 is close to 15 times faster than the world’s quickest manned aircraft – the hypersonic North American X-15, which travelled at 4,520mph (7,300kmh).  NASA has calculated that the asteroid will remain 2.6 million miles away, that is relatively close in space terms, states a Daily Mail article.

Reports state that the asteroid is about 1.1km wide – making it longer than the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, which stands at 0.8km. It is the largest space rock to slip past Earth in 2018. It might be noted that an asteroid that comes within 4.6 million miles of Earth is called “potentially hazardous” by Nasa. Fortunately, NASA is confident that this asteroid won’t collide with Earth. But if it did, then what would happen? Previous research has found that a rock of this size could plunge Earth into a mini-ice age, if it hit. Tthe impact will cause the average temperatures around the world to fall by as much as 8°C, states a 2016 study on the effects of a collision with a 0.6-mile-wide (1km) asteroid. Scientists had warned that the ‘very severe global impact’ would last several years and cause the world to become a much darker, colder and drier place.  The soot would remain in the atmosphere for around 10 years, while the dust will need six years to settle back down on Earth.

At present, NASA cannot deflect an asteroid that is about to collide with Earth. Early detection, however, will help in evacuating the impact area and moving key infrastructure. The Daily Mail quotes a NASA spokesperson saying, “As of December 24, there are 17,495 known Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) around our planet; 17,389 are asteroids.” Scientists will be closely monitoring the movement of AJ129 asteroid with the Goldstone Radio Telescope in California. Goldstone is one of the U.S.’s two high-powered radar astronomy facilities, along with the Arecibo telescope in Puerto Rico. Nasa is also working on a refrigerator-sized spacecraft that is capable of preventing asteroids from colliding with Earth. A test with a small, non-threatening asteroid is planned for 2024.

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