A 1,350-ft asteroid, seen as potentially hazardous, flew past Earth recently and astronomers predict that a slim possibility exists that the asteroid will hit Earth in 2032.
On September 16, Ukrainian astronomers spied the asteroid, dubbed 2013TV135, which passed the Earth at a distance of 4.2 million miles away (which is more than 15 times the distance between Earth and the moon). The astronomers at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory in Ukraine, however, predict that a 1 in 63,000 probability exists that the asteroid 2013TV135 will crash into the Earth when it circles back 19 years later on August 26, 2032.
"This is a relatively new discovery," said Don Yeomans, manager of NASA's NEO Program. "With more observations, I fully expect we will be able to significantly reduce, or rule out entirely, any impact probability for the foreseeable future."
Per a CNN report, the astronomers envisage that the impact could be possibly "as powerful as 2,500 megatons of TNT." This intensity in layperson terms would mean an impact that is 50 times more than the force of the nuclear bomb explosion during World War II in Hiroshima, Japan.
However, NASA officials are optimistic and opine that the asteroid does not pose any particular threat. Per NASA, chances of the asteroid sailing past Earth in 2032 is highly likely and the space agency can say it with 99.998 percent certainty.
The asteroid has been given a danger rating of 1 out of 10 on the Torino Impact Hazard Scale, where 1 stands for "no cause for public attention or concern."
NASA revealed that it also takes into consideration the size of an asteroid when ascertaining if it poses any danger.
"We believe anything larger than one to two kilometers (about 0.6 to 1.2 miles) could have worldwide effects," per NASA's statement.
Astronomers will have a clearer picture by 2028. Whether 2013TV135 will hit or miss the Earth in 2032 is anybody's guess, but going by NASA's statement, it will likely miss the planet.
