Sunday Times 2
Will the world end in 2032?
The world as we know it could end on August 26, 2032.
A 1,300-foot wide asteroid is headed toward Earth and could strike the planet with the force of 2,500 nuclear warheads in 19 years, Ukrainian astronomers have shockingly revealed.
Crimean Astrophysical Observatory found the massive asteroid, called 2013 TV135, last weekend and the international scientific community has already rated it as one of the two most dangerous asteroids ever recorded.
Still, the chances of the object striking Earth are very low, estimated at 1 in 63,000. That means there’s a 99.9984 percent chance that life on the planet will continue as normal.
Massive: The 1,300-foot-wide asteroid 2013 TV135 has a 1 in 63,000 chance of striking the earth in 19 years, scientists have revealed.The asteroid would strike with 2,500megatons of explosive force, enough to create damage within a 100,000 square-mile radius (Reuters/NASA)
That probability, though, is relatively high, considering that an impact could damage more than 100,000 square miles and change Earth’s climate for years to come.
The chance of hitting a MegaMillions jackpot, by comparison, is 1 in 176million.
If the asteroid misses, it is likely to pass very close to Earth – within 1million miles of the planet’s orbit, Russian news agency RIA Novosti reports.
As a result, NASA has deemed the object ‘potentially hazardous.’
Scientists have also given it a danger rating of 1 out of 10 on the Torino Scale. Only one other asteroid has been given a rating of 1. The risk for all others has been judged 0, negligible.
If 2013 TV135 were to collide with Earth, it is estimated to impact with 2,500 megatons of explosive power. The standard U.S. Minute Man II missiles carries a nuclear warhead with an explosive power of a little over 1 megaton.
The effects of an impact would be catastrophic, especially if it struck a populated area.
The asteroid, however, is much smaller than the interplanetary object that hit Earth and killed off the dinosaurs 65million years ago. That asteroid was estimated to be 6 miles in diameter.
After Ukrainian scientists spotted the object last weekend, astronomers at observatories in Spain, Italy and Siberia, Russia, confirmed the existence of 2013 TV135
The asteroid will be closer in 2024, allowing scientists to better examine its orbit and where it would be likely to hit.
Currently, 2007 VK184 is believed to have the best chance of striking Earth. The 420-foot-wide object is said to have a 1 in 2700 chance of making contact with the planet in 2048. It is the only other asteroid to have a 1 rating on the Torino Scale.
© Daily Mail, London