We've all likely enacted disaster movie scenarios in our heads. Thankfully though, we won't have to witness one on May 6, despiteThe reports came over the weekend with news that NASA had estimated a space rock the size of the Great Pyramid was"likely" to hit Earth on May 6. Thankfully, asteroid 2009 JF1 will actually pass us by.
Until recently, asteroid 2009 JF1 was on the European Space Agency Near-Earth Objects Coordination Center's, as it was thought to have a 1 in 4,000 chance of hitting Earth during a close approach in May. However, it was removed from the top 10 in February this year. Part of the reason behind 2009 JF1's re-evaluation is that researchers lost sight of the space rock soon after it was first discovered in 2009, meaning they weren't able to get as much data as they wanted on its orbital trajectory, though they knew it would come close to Earth. Since that time, the tools used to calculate asteroid orbits have improved and new observations allowed astronomers to re-evaluate the risk.
Not only that, but the asteroid's size was also re-estimated, showing that it is likely the size of a school bus, meaning that even if an impact scenario were likely, it would"not [be] of significant concern."While newsreaders worldwide can breathe a collective sigh of relief, the news does highlight the current lack of technology for deflecting a large asteroid on a collision course with Earth.
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