According to one of the most famous astrophysicists Neil deGrasse Tyson, an asteroid is actually heading towards Earth and could potentially hit the planet on November 2.
The famed astrophysicist stated that if the world actually ends during this year 2020, then it won't entirely be the fault of the universe. The asteroid known as 2018VP1 has actually been on the radar ever since November of 2018 the moment that it was detected by the Palomar Observatory located in California.
View this post on InstagramAsteroid 2018VP1, a refrigerator-sized space-rock, is hurtling towards us at more than 25,000 mi/hr. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ It may buzz-cut Earth on Nov. 2, the day before the Presidential Election. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ But it's not big enough to cause harm. So if the World ends in 2020, it won't be the fault of the Universe. A post shared by Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neildegrassetyson) on Oct 17, 2020 at 6:40pm PDT
Neil deGrasse Instagram post mentioning the asteroid
The astrophysicist then posted on Instagram that the 2018VP1, which is a refrigerator-sized space-rock, is hurling straight towards earth, noting that the speed of this space-rock was at 25,000 mi/hr. It was then stated that the asteroid could potentially buzz-cut Earth about a day before November 2.
This came with the following statement that the asteroid, however, is actually not big enough to cause meaningful harm and if the world would end in the year 2020, it won't be the whole fault of the Universe.
NASA: asteroid hitting before election day 2020 is actually not that destructive
NASA Asteroid Watch stated on Twitter that the Asteroid 2018VP1 is actually very small and only the size of about 6.5ft and doesn't pose any threats to Earth. The asteroid, according to NASA, only has a 0.41% chances of entering the Earth's atmosphere. It was also stated that if it would, it would then disintegrate due to its really small size.
There have been many noticeable space activities this 2020 with a recent "ticking time bomb" star found to be about 10 to 15 times the size of the Sun along with many other discoveries. NASA has also increased their efforts in both observing space and also working towards sending astronauts back to the moon in preparation for a future Mars mission.
Asteroid 2018VP1 is very small, approx. 6.5 feet, and poses no threat to Earth! It currently has a 0.41% chance of entering our planet's atmosphere, but if it did, it would disintegrate due to its extremely small size. — NASA Asteroid Watch (@AsteroidWatch) August 23, 2020
Read Also: 'Ticking Time Bomb' Star Found: 10 to 15 Times the Size of the Sun and Over 100,000 Times Brighter!
The Mars mission
The Mars mission is one of the ultimate goals of not just NASA but also SpaceX. In a recent interview by Everyday Astronaut with NASA and SpaceX, SpaceX stated that the main reason why SpaceX was created was to accelerate the efforts of going to Mars.
One notable comment that NASA had about SpaceX is that SpaceX is not afraid of failure and this is one of their most underlying strengths. It was stated that SpaceX has the ability to try, fail, learn, and come back better.
NASA's work with SpaceX has only begun and there is an expectation that their partnership could last for years due to the number of projects they have lined up.
Related Article: NASA Announces 8 Countries Signing Up for the Artemis Accords with the Newest Addition, the UAE!
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Written by Urian Buenconsejo
