Teh One Who Knocks
04-15-2015, 11:31 AM
By Tony Tran - Opposing Views
http://i.imgur.com/wxO7l77.jpg
It has been portrayed in films like "Deep Impact" and "Armageddon": An object from space hurdling towards the planet threatening all life on Earth.
Those stories may soon jump off of the big screen and into reality, as one astronomer has recently come forward claiming that an asteroid the size of the Statue of Liberty is headed for a collision course with Earth.
Astronomer at the University of Texas, Dr. Judit Györgyey-Ries, says she believes that the asteroid could reach Earth around October 2017.
"We could see an airburst, maybe broken windows depending on where it hits," she said.
Many experts are confident the asteroid will not hit Earth though. Detlef Koschny, head of the near-earth object segment at the European Space Agency says: "There is a one in a million chance that it could hit us. The size was estimated from the brightness, but we don't know the reflectivity. So it could be smaller or larger, assume from 10 to 40 meters.
"A 40 meter iron object would go through the atmosphere and make a crater," he continued, "a 10 meter rocky object would hardly be noticed."
Györgyey-Ries still believes that it is something to be wary of though.
"It is something to keep an eye on," says Judit Györgyey-Ries.
According to Physics.org, there are currently 1,572 potentially hazardous asteroids known to science. However, none of these asteroids are on a collision course with Earth.
http://i.imgur.com/wxO7l77.jpg
It has been portrayed in films like "Deep Impact" and "Armageddon": An object from space hurdling towards the planet threatening all life on Earth.
Those stories may soon jump off of the big screen and into reality, as one astronomer has recently come forward claiming that an asteroid the size of the Statue of Liberty is headed for a collision course with Earth.
Astronomer at the University of Texas, Dr. Judit Györgyey-Ries, says she believes that the asteroid could reach Earth around October 2017.
"We could see an airburst, maybe broken windows depending on where it hits," she said.
Many experts are confident the asteroid will not hit Earth though. Detlef Koschny, head of the near-earth object segment at the European Space Agency says: "There is a one in a million chance that it could hit us. The size was estimated from the brightness, but we don't know the reflectivity. So it could be smaller or larger, assume from 10 to 40 meters.
"A 40 meter iron object would go through the atmosphere and make a crater," he continued, "a 10 meter rocky object would hardly be noticed."
Györgyey-Ries still believes that it is something to be wary of though.
"It is something to keep an eye on," says Judit Györgyey-Ries.
According to Physics.org, there are currently 1,572 potentially hazardous asteroids known to science. However, none of these asteroids are on a collision course with Earth.