NASA denies asteroid impact with Earth in 2040

The asteroid, 2011 AG5, which was previously thought to collide with the Earth in 2040 and had a collision chance of 1 in 500, will pass by earth harmlessly. As per NASA, the asteroid shouldn’t get any closer than 890,000 kilometers — about twice the distance between Earth and the moon.

The asteroid which was discovered in 2011 is 140 metres in diameter and if it were to collide with the earth it would have released about 100 megatonnes of energy, several thousand times more powerful than the atomic bombs. As per statistical estimates, a body of this size could impact the Earth on average every 10,000 years.

Month: Current Affairs - December, 2012

Category: Science & Technology Current Affairs