A DANGEROUS asteroid is no longer expected to hit Earth in the year 2052, astronomers claim.
The “riskiest asteroid known to man” – dubbed 2021 QM1 – has been removed from the European Space Agency’s (ESA) risk list.
Illustration of a burning asteroid moving towards the Earth.[/caption]
Asteroid 2021 QM1 posed a real threat of impacting Earth on April 2, 2052, the ESA said in a newly released statement.
But after working closely with experts at the European Southern Observatory, the researchers no longer deem the rock dangerous – at least, for now.
Asteroid 2021 QM1
Scientists at the Mount Lemmon Sky Center in Arizona uncovered 2021 QM1 on August 28 of last year.
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The space rock measures 164-foot in diameter – but it’s not just the size that was concerning to astronomers.
Instead, it was its trajectory, which indicated that it would come very close to Earth.
“These early observations gave us more information about the asteroid’s path, which we then projected into the future,” Richard Moissl, head of Planetary Defense at the European Space Agency, said in a statement.
“We could see its future paths around the Sun, and in 2052 it could come dangerously close to Earth. The more the asteroid was observed, the greater that risk became.”
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It’s important to note that the rock wouldn’t be as catastrophic as the one that killed off the dinosaurs if it were to impact Earth.
But it would still do a lot of damage – such as causing potential injuries and destroy a lot of property.
Asteroid 2021 QM1 had been on the ESA’s risk list for months prior to removal as its stated chance of striking the planet was around 1 in 3,300.
However, after observing the rock using several powerful telescopes, including the Very Large Telescope in Chile, researchers can now conclude that it will not collide with Earth in the coming decades.
While 2021 QM1 was removed from ESA’s risk list, another 1377 remain.
What is an asteroid?
An asteroid is a small rocky body that orbits the Sun.
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Most are found in the asteroid belt (between Mars and Jupiter) but they can be found anywhere (including in a path that can impact Earth).
They differ from comets, which are mostly made of ice and gas, and feature long ‘tails’ behind them.
