New Delhi:
Almost 66 million years ago, an asteroid came crashing into what now is Mexico. The heavenly rock stretched for up to 10 miles and almost obliterated life on Earth. Wiping out dinosaurs to causing Tsunamis, its impact, even if can be imagined, is forgettable. As per a study, another asteroid of same dimensions is heading towards earth. The asteroid, known as 1990 MU, is currently orbiting the sun and may come dangerously close to earth by 2027.
The giant asteroid, which has a diameter of 4-9 kilometres, will be close to our planet precisely on June 6, 2027, reported Express.co.uk. Moreover, its proximity to Earth will be breath-taking as last time its prototype wiped out entire species of dinosaurs.
According to NASA scientists, it will come as close as 0.03AU which forces the researchers to mark it into ‘close Earth object’ category. NASA considers it potentially hazardous and labels it as of having ‘potential to make threatening close approaches to the Earth.” However, AU which stands for ‘Astronomical Unit’ is the distance between the Earth and the Sun.
In case you are wondering how dangerous this asteroid could be, scientists say Asteroid 1990 MU, is considered to be one of the brightest and largest potentially hazardous space rocks known to exist.
Earlier, another asteroid named 2019 OU1, touted as big as Great Pyramid of Giza turned out to be much smaller, will fly by within a safe distance as per its current trajectories in the space. The scientists at NASA have already made it clear that an asteroid is dangerous only when it collides with Earth. There have been many such asteroids which have flown by within safe distance posing no threat to life on earth.
In recent times, many deadly asteroids including 2019 OK, 2019 OD, 2015 HM10, 2019 OE, 2019 NN3, 2019 MB4, 2019 MT2, 2006 QV89, 2016 NO56M, RF12 and others came horrendously close to the Earth, but did not hit our planet. It is said that one day all life on the Earth will be extinct. Not only life, but the Earth will also extinct someday and an asteroid could be the possible reason.
