Asteroid 2013 TV135 Could Hit Earth In 2032, Says Ukrainan Observatory [View all]
Source: IB Times
A team of Ukranian astronomers at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory discovered asteroid 2013 TV135, a 1,345-foot (410 meter) minor planet last week, the nation’s Ria Novost reports. According to their calculations, 2013 TV135 is currently orbiting the Earth at a distance of 1.7 million kilometers, and its trajectory could place it on a catastrophic collision course with our planet in 2032.
By Thursday, five more groups had confirmed the findings, including observatories in Italy, Spain, the U.K. and Russia. NASA has confirmed the discovery as well, adding 2013 TV135 to its list of recently observed near-Earth objects. The American space agency rated the asteroid a 1 on its Torino scale, meaning that the object represents a threat and "merits careful monitoring."
It’s easy to see why NASA deems the asteroid a threat. If 2013 TV135 does hit the Earth in 2032, it would result in an explosion packing the force of 2,500 megatons of TNT. That’s more than 50 times the power of the largest nuclear bomb ever detonated.
The good news is that there’s only a 1 in 63,000 chance of 2014 TV135 ever making contact with Earth. So it’s extremely unlikely that this asteroid will doom us all.
Read more: http://www.ibtimes.com/asteroid-2013-tv135-could-hit-earth-2032-says-ukrainan-observatory-1431348
JPL view: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2013-300
Torino scale (this currently rates a 1):
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