NASA clarifies concerns over 'lost' asteroid: Will it impact Earth in 2024?
Recent reports have suggested that an asteroid might be on a collision course with Earth. These reports, based on warnings from NASA, have caused concern. However, NASA's statements are not as alarming as some news outlets have portrayed.
NASA has confirmed that the likelihood of asteroid 2007 FT3 impacting Earth is extremely low. Experts continuously monitor the orbits of approaching asteroids to identify any potential threats and are prepared to issue warnings if necessary.
A NASA spokesperson clarified the situation: "There is no known asteroid threat to Earth at any time in the upcoming century." NASA and its partners carefully track the orbits of asteroids and near-Earth objects. Even asteroids approaching within 30 million miles are closely monitored by specialists.
According to a report published by NASA in November, 13 asteroids have approached closer to Earth than the Moon in the last 30 days, and this number reached 110 in the past year. However, no alarms were raised for these occurrences.
Regarding the specific asteroid in question, 2007 FT3, is a real asteroid with a diameter of 341 meters, first detected in March 2007. NASA's Sentry Risk Table lists 89 potential impacts for this asteroid from 2024 to 2119. However, each potential impact is rated a 0 on the Torino Scale, indicating no threat.
The impact of a collision could potentially yield 2,700 megatons of energy, but the likelihood of such an event is so low that it is expressed as 0.000000087. This probability is akin to rolling nine or ten dice and having them all land on six.
As October 3, 2025, approaches, it's likely that doomsday scenarios will resurface in the news. However, NASA's data indicate that such scenarios are unfounded.
