[meteorite-list] Another end of the world

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:00:09 2004
Message-ID: <200207241610.JAA19682_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

> Expert warns of asteroid hit
>
> London - A massive asteroid could hit Earth in just 17 years' time,
> destroying life as we know it, a British space expert said on Wednesday.
> The asteroid - the most threatening object ever detected in space - is 2km
> wide and apparently on a direct collision course with Earth.
> "Objects of this size only hit the Earth every one or two million years,"
> said Dr Benny Peiser, an asteroid expert at Liverpool John Moore's
> University in northern England.

Hi Guyes,

Asteroid 2002 NT7 has a 1 in 6 million chance of impacting the Earth in February 2019.
In other words, there is a remote, but non-zero, chance it may hit the Earth then.
Looked at another way, 1 in 6 million also means that there is a 99.99998% chance it
will miss the Earth. If you will look our risk page:

http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/risk/index.shtml

There are currently 37 asteroids on possible collision course with Earth, all of
them very low probability events. 2002 NT7 currently ranks at the top of the list, mainly
because of its large size (2 km) and relatively close potential impact date (2019).

Ron Baalke
Received on Wed 24 Jul 2002 12:10:52 PM PDT