Risk of 400m asteroid impact grows by 7 times

As Euroradio informed before, the asteroid 2013 TV135 was discovered in the photos of the starry arch made by the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory on October 12 (Henadz Barysau discovered the asteroid with the help of his self-made telescope). Later, the discovery was confirmed by several Russian observatories and astronomers from Italy, Britain and Spain.



The scientists claim that the 410-meters space object belongs to the class of potentially dangerous asteroids. The minimal distance between its orbit and the orbit of the Earth makes 0,012 astronomical units (1,7 mln kilometers).



According to preliminary calculations, this asteroid may impact the Earth with a probability of 1 to 63 thousand. The capacity of the blow in case 2013 TV135 falls on our planet will be 2,5 thousand megatons in TNT equivalent. However, the latest calculations estimate the risk of the impact as 1 to 9,09 thousand ( a week ago it was 1 to 14 thousand).  Still, the scientists say that the risk of the catastrophe remains very low, RIA Novosti reports.

Photo by Timur Krachko, ria.ru
 

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