Russian scientist spies mountain-sized asteroid heading our way
A
Russian astrophysicist says his team has located a huge, mountain-sized
asteroid whose orbit crosses the Earth's every three years.
Christian Science Monitor
Russian scientist spies mountain-sized asteroid heading our way
In a video posted online Sunday, astrophysicist Vladimir Lipunov says the newly discovered asteroid could collide with Earth during its three-year orbital cycle. A giant meteor exploded over a Russian city in 2013.
By Fred Weir
December 8, 2014 12:00 PM
Image courtesy of NASA shows an
artist's concept of a broken-up asteroid. Scientists think that a giant
asteroid, which broke up long ago in the main asteroid belt between
Mars and Jupiter, eventually made its way to Earth and led to the
extinction of the dinosaurs. Data from NASA's WISE mission likely rules
out the leading suspect, a member of a family of asteroids called
Baptistina, so the search for the origins of the dinosaur-killing
asteroid goes on. (REUTERS/NASA/JPL-Caltech/Handout)
A Russian astrophysicist says his team has located a huge,
mountain-sized asteroid whose orbit crosses the Earth's every three
years.
In the film, Lipunov says it's difficult to calculate the orbit of big objects like 2014 UR116 because, as they hurtle through the solar system, their trajectories are constantly being altered by the gravitational pull of nearby planets. "We need to permanently track this asteroid, because even a small mistake in calculations could have serious consequences," he said.
Even though
experts say the giant object, known as 2014 UR116, poses no immediate
threat of collision, its unexpected discovery underscores how little is
still known about asteroids and their unpredictable orbits.
Vladimir Lipunov, a professor at Moscow State University, announced the find in a short documentary,
"Asteroid Attack," posted on the website of the Russian Space Agency on
Sunday. Mr. Lipunov says the asteroid, which he calculates is 370
meters in diameter, could hit the Earth with an explosion 1,000 times
greater than the surprise 2013 impact of a bus-sized meteor in Russia.
That object entered Earth’s atmosphere over the city of Chelyabinsk, resulting in a series of ferocious blasts that blew out windows and damaged buildings for miles around.
Recommended: Are you a space whiz? Take our quiz!In the film, Lipunov says it's difficult to calculate the orbit of big objects like 2014 UR116 because, as they hurtle through the solar system, their trajectories are constantly being altered by the gravitational pull of nearby planets. "We need to permanently track this asteroid, because even a small mistake in calculations could have serious consequences," he said.
There
is little indication that this particular asteroid could hit the Earth
in the next few decades, though over a much longer period a collision
looks quite likely, says Natan Esmant, an expert with the official Space
Research Institute in Moscow. A more serious issue, he says, is the
estimated 100,000 near-Earth objects, such as asteroids and comets,
which can cross our planet's orbit and are large enough to be dangerous.
Only about 11,000 have so far been tracked and cataloged.
"Every
couple of days new ones are being discovered," he says. "Scientists have
increasingly powerful tools to do this work, but there's a lot still to
be done. Every object that crosses the Earth's path can be a potential
threat."
Since the Chelyabinsk meteor, which came as a complete surprise to experts, scientists have been warning about the danger and
trying to pool their data in order to get a clearer picture of the
swarms of debris that are lurking in space. Scientists use conventional
telescopes, radar and infrared detectors to hunt asteroids. The first
satellite specifically designed to identify asteroids was launched last year.
A
movement of scientists, astronauts, musicians, and businesspeople have
launched a campaign to dramatize the danger and seek ways of protecting
Earth from what seems like an inevitable destructive collision. They
declared June 30, 2015, the world's first Asteroid Day.
Related stories
- Are you a space whiz? Take our quiz!
- Humongous asteroids strike Earth with alarming frequency, say scientists
- How rare was Chelyabinsk asteroid blast? Not as rare as you hoped. (+video)
- Hunt for near-Earth asteroids is new mission for slumbering NASA craft
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