Nearly two decades after scientists lost track of a 54-million-ton asteroid, NASA has put an end to any possibility of its collision with Earth. A November 2023 report claimed that the 2007 FT3, or the “lost asteroid”, may hit our planet in 2024. However, the US space agency has refuted such claims.
Will 2007 FT3 hit the Earth in 2024?
NASA issued a statement in response to GB News' report that claimed 2007 FT3 has a 1 in 11.5 million chance of striking the Earth on October 5, 2024. Scientists first spotted the massive space rock in 2007, thus its name. However, they lost track of it later and declared it a “lost asteroid.”
“There are no known asteroid impact threats to Earth at any time in the next century. NASA and its partners diligently watch the skies to find, track, and categorise asteroids and near-Earth objects (NEOs), including those who come close to Earth,” the space agency said.
“An important note here is planetary scientists define asteroid approaches that come within 30 million miles of Earth's orbit as close approaches. The larger an asteroid is, the easier it is for our planetary defence experts to find, meaning that their orbits around the sun are usually very well-known and understood for years or even decades,” NASA added.
‘God of Chaos’ asteroid
{{/usCountry}}“An important note here is planetary scientists define asteroid approaches that come within 30 million miles of Earth's orbit as close approaches. The larger an asteroid is, the easier it is for our planetary defence experts to find, meaning that their orbits around the sun are usually very well-known and understood for years or even decades,” NASA added.
‘God of Chaos’ asteroid
{{/usCountry}}Last year in December, NASA launched a mission to intercept asteroid Apophis, also known as the ‘God of Chaos’. The massive asteroid, which is almost three times the size of Mount Everest, will brush past the Earth, merely 20,000 miles away from the orbit in 2019. Due to its close proximity, Apophis is expected to be visible to the naked eye in the Northern Hemisphere.