Asteroid 2013 TV135 Could Strike Earth In 2032

by uInterviewOctober 21, 2013, 12:00 amNews >

An asteroid that recently narrowly missed Earth – 2013 TV135 – could be returning 19 years from now to make another threat at hitting the planet.

The likelihood of 2013 TV135 striking Earth in 2032 is relatively small, however. Depending on reports, there’s a 1 in 48,000 to 1 in 63,000 chance that it will actually make contact. Percentage-wise, that means there’s about a .002 chance of the half-mile wide asteroid striking the planet. NASA's Dr. Paul Abell believes that as they continue to study 2013 TV135, scientists will eventually determine that there’s a 0% chance of it hitting Earth, reported ABC News.

Despite there not being significant statistical reason to worry about 2013 TV135, experts say that researching ways of foiling a potential asteroid strike remains critical. "Our task is to consider various alternatives and develop scenarios and plans of action depending on the results of further observations," Professor Leonid Sokolov of the St. Petersburg State University told RIA Novosti.

If a large asteroid, one larger than the half-mile 2013 TV135, were actually to hit earth, it could be devastating for the entire planet – causing wide-reaching consequences that could cripple civilization. "If a very large asteroid hit, I am talking about something that is miles across, it would probably create the same kind of disaster that wiped out the dinosaurs," Stanford University’s Scott Hubbard said. "We are not talking about ending Earth, we are not talking about ending everything, all life on Earth, but I am pretty sure it would wipe out civilization, certainly civilization as we know it."

Since scientists have only discovered 1% of the dangerous near-Earth asteroids, the danger looms of there being an undetected asteroid that could make its way towards Earth, as happened at Chelyabinsk, Russia, according to Slate's Phil Plait. NASA experts, in an effort to prevent more asteroid strikes, are continuing to look for new ways of tracking asteroids.

– Chelsea Regan

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