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posted by cmn32480 on Monday June 26 2017, @05:02PM   Printer-friendly
from the time-to-get-off-this-rock dept.

The asteroid – named 441987 (2010 NY65) – is marked as a concern because it's 230 metres in diameter and travelling just 7.9 lunar distances (that's about three million km) from us.

[...] If it were to strike, its weight could impact with a force 300 times greater than the Hiroshima bomb, scientists have predicted.

2010 NY65 was discovered on July 10, 2010 by the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) spacecraft and is expected to make yearly close approaches to Earth until 2022.

It might sound far-fetched, but experts have warned that an asteroid crash that would wipe out humanity could be imminent.

Dr Alan Fitzsimmons, speaking ahead of asteroid week this month, said there is currently nothing we can do to stop a large space rock heading our way – and the impact would be catastrophic.

Well, an asteroid impact is certainly one way to solve all our problems.


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  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Leebert on Monday June 26 2017, @06:27PM (1 child)

    by Leebert (3511) on Monday June 26 2017, @06:27PM (#531452)

    300 times greater than the Hiroshima bomb. Sounds impressive.

    Not to mention the fact that it's still not THAT huge; certainly not an extinction-level event even if it hit in the worst location. Tsar Bomba was over three THOUSAND times as powerful as Little Boy.

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  • (Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday June 27 2017, @03:17AM

    by JoeMerchant (3937) on Tuesday June 27 2017, @03:17AM (#531732)

    Tsar Bobma was an air-burst... not saying a single rock makes an ELE, but you can do a lot more damage with a direct rock strike in the ocean (especially if you trigger some earthquakes in the process) than an airburst "of the same energy."

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