Quantcast
ZME Science
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    Menu
    Natural Sciences
    Health
    History & Humanities
    Space & Astronomy
    Technology
    Culture
    Resources
    Natural Sciences

    Physics

    • Matter and Energy
    • Quantum Mechanics
    • Thermodynamics

    Chemistry

    • Periodic Table
    • Applied Chemistry
    • Materials
    • Physical Chemistry

    Biology

    • Anatomy
    • Biochemistry
    • Ecology
    • Genetics
    • Microbiology
    • Plants and Fungi

    Geology and Paleontology

    • Planet Earth
    • Earth Dynamics
    • Rocks and Minerals
    • Volcanoes
    • Dinosaurs
    • Fossils

    Animals

    • Mammals
    • Birds
    • Fish
    • Reptiles
    • Amphibians
    • Invertebrates
    • Pets
    • Conservation
    • Animals Facts

    Climate and Weather

    • Climate Change
    • Weather and Atmosphere

    Geography

    Mathematics

    Health
    • Drugs
    • Diseases and Conditions
    • Human Body
    • Mind and Brain
    • Food and Nutrition
    • Wellness
    History & Humanities
    • Anthropology
    • Archaeology
    • Economics
    • History
    • People
    • Sociology
    Space & Astronomy
    • The Solar System
    • The Sun
    • The Moon
    • Planets
    • Asteroids, Meteors and Comets
    • Astronomy
    • Astrophysics
    • Cosmology
    • Exoplanets and Alien Life
    • Spaceflight and Exploration
    Technology
    • Computer Science & IT
    • Engineering
    • Inventions
    • Sustainability
    • Renewable Energy
    • Green Living
    Culture
    • Culture and Society
    • Bizarre Stories
    • Lifestyle
    • Art and Music
    • Gaming
    • Books
    • Movies and Shows
    Resources
    • How To
    • Science Careers
    • Metascience
    • Fringe Science
    • Science Experiments
    • School and Study
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Science → News

Big asteroid will hit Eart in 2880 … or will it?

New research has shown that a big asteroid is well on its way to hitting Earth in 2880 - and by that I mean it has a 1 in 300 chance of actually hitting our planet, but it's still the likeliest celestial body to hit the Earth in the foreseeable future.

Mihai Andrei by Mihai Andrei
August 19, 2014
in News, Space

You’re likely to read this news on other media as “Huge asteroid will hit the Earth in 2880” – that’s bull, and I’ll explain why.

A Hollywoodian artistic representation of an asteroid hitting the Earth. Image credits: Alamy.

The kilometre-wide asteroid 1950 DA has a one-in-300 chance on 16 March, 2880. 1 in 300 chance is indeed a bit unnerving, but let’s put things into perspective here – the odds are the same as you guessing the next number in the roulette 2 times in a row. It’s not happening, almost certainly. Also, this is the most likely asteroid to hit our planet in the foreseeable future.

It’s admirable that researchers are studying its trajectory and “travel habits” even now, almost a millennium before its projected potential impact, and that’s why we have a pretty good safety net when it comes to asteroids: we’ll see it coming.

According to their research, published in the science journal Nature, the asteroid has a diameter of one kilometre and is travelling at nine miles a second relative to the Earth. It’s also rotating incredibly fast – so fast that it’s a wonder it’s not breaking apart. Should it indeed hit Earth, it would devastate life as we know, creating a similar impact to the one which likely wiped off the dinosaurs at the end of the Mesozoic.

Meanwhile, we have much more serious problems to deal with – for example the mass extinction we’re causing at the moment, or the rising temperatures which again we are to blame for, or the ocean acidification. Just sayin’.

Was this helpful?


Thanks for your feedback!

Related posts:
  1. NASA rejects Russian report: Apophis asteroid extremely unlikely to hit earth
  2. Apophis asteroid update: it definitely won’t hit Earth in 2036
  3. Asteroid that killed the dinosaurs hit at “deadliest possible” angle
  4. Dinosaur-killing asteroid may have hit Earth during spring
  5. NASA’s asteroid sampling mission ran into a problem: they sampled too much asteroid

ADVERTISEMENT
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
  • Reviews
  • More
  • About Us

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

Don’t you want to get smarter every day?

YES, sign me up!

Over 35,000 subscribers can’t be wrong. Don’t worry, we never spam. By signing up you agree to our privacy policy.

✕
ZME Science News

FREE
VIEW