Ukrainian Astronomers Say Asteroid Might Collide With Earth — in 2032
By Sergei L. Loiko This post has been corrected and updated. See link below for details.
October 17, 2013, 8:54 a.m.
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia — Ukrainian astronomers say an asteroid might collide with Earth in a couple of decades, a Russian news service reported Thursday.
Space watchers from the observatory in the Crimean peninsula said they discovered an asteroid about 1,345 feet in diameter, which they call 2013 TV135, that is approaching Earth at a potentially dangerous trajectory, RIA Novosti said.
The astronomers calculated the date of a potential collision as Aug. 26, 2032, the news service said, but they acknowledged the odds of an impact as 1 in 63,000.
The force of such a possible collision could be the equivalent of setting off about 2,500 megatons of TNT, RIA Novosti reported.
More: Ukrainian Astronomers Say Asteroid Might Collide With Earth — in 2032