What exactly is an asteroid and will one really hit Earth in 2032?
Space agency officials have announced that a newly-discovered asteroid could collide with Earth in 2032. Experts are keeping a close eye on the space rock, which is the size of the London Eye.
The asteroid, known as 2024 YR4, measures between 130ft and 330ft (40m to 100m) and was detected last month by a Chilean telescope.
It is reported that the asteroid has a slight chance of colliding with Earth in December 2032, but that scientists are "not worried at all".
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But what exactly is an asteroid, and what are the chances this one could hit Earth? Here's everything you need to know.
What is an asteroid?
Nasa describes asteroids as "small, rocky objects that orbit the Sun". While asteroids orbit the Sun like planets, they are much smaller compared to the planets in our solar system.
Most asteroids stay in the main asteroid belt which is an area between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
But they can also be found in the orbital path of planets, meaning that the asteroid and the planet follow the same pathway around the Sun. Earth and a few other planets have asteroids in their orbital path.
Where do asteroids come from?
NASA explains that asteroids are essentially the rubble left over from the formation of our solar system, which began around 4.6 billion years ago with The Big Bang.
The solar system began when a giant cloud of gas and dust collapsed and most of the material fell to the centre of the cloud, forming the sun.
Some of the dust from this cosmic cloud became the planets. However, the objects in the asteroid belt never had the chance to be incorporated into the forming planets, and are leftover from that long time ago.
What is the likelihood of this asteroid hitting Earth in 2032?
Scientists are closely monitoring the asteroid. The current probability of its impact with Earth is just over one per cent.
"We are not worried at all, because of this 99 per cent chance it will miss," stated Paul Chodas, director of NASA's Centre for Near Earth Object Studies. "But it deserves attention."
However, as the celestial body's solar orbit becomes clearer, experts believe the risk level could eventually fall to zero, reports the Mirror.
NASA and the European Space Agency claim the space rock will become less visible over the nest few months. Until then, the world's best telescopes will continue tracking it to further examine its size and trajectory.
December 22, 2032 has been marked as the possible date of impact. But authorities are unable to predict the touchdown location in the unlikely scenario of the asteroid striking Earth.
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