A possibly dangerous asteroid the size of the Empire State Building is hurtling towards Earth and will touch down there next week.
Though the object will be rather close to our planet, it will pass us, thus it seems as though we don’t need to be concerned.
Asteroid 1994 XD, which was found by the Spacewatch team at Kitt Peak Observatory in Arizona in 1994, will pass by Earth on June 12 just before 9 p.m. EDT at a distance of up to 1.8 million miles, or almost eight times the usual distance of the moon.
The astronomical body’s diameter ranges from 1,214 to 2,723 feet, and its speed is 77,301 kilometers per hour (48,032 mph).
Asteroid 1994 XD Impact
1994 XD falling in New York City would make a crater 2.1 miles wide and vaporize about 60,000 people, according to the Asteroid Launcher simulation website, assuming the astronomical body is 1,500 feet in diameter and strikes Earth at a 45-degree angle.
Over 6 million people would perish from a 6.8-mile fireball, and 5.6 million would perish from a 264 decibel shockwave. There would also be an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.0.
The astronomical body has been designated as a Potentially Hazardous Object because of the degree of possible destruction that results from its size. However, on May 31, 1904, asteroid 1994 XD was only 1.5 million miles from Earth, making it significantly closer than it is now.
Over a dozen objects are being tracked by NASA’s Centre for Near Earth Object Studies (NEOS), which reports on such things.
While it is anticipated that Asteroid 1994 XD will not endanger our planet, Valentine’s Day 2046 is likely to cause far greater anxiety.
According to the European Space Agency, there is a 1 in 560 or 1 in 625 chance that asteroid 2023 DW will strike Earth at that time. Thank goodness that one is roughly the size of an Olympic swimming pool and considerably smaller than 1994 XD.
NASA tried to redirect an astronomical body by sending and smashing a spacecraft into it last year with the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission. The minor astronomical body Dimorphos’ orbit was changed more than was anticipated by the expedition, which was a major success.
To read our blog on “Pakistan launches country’s first Asteroid Search initiative,” click here.
