For Christmas, an asteroid will pass near Earth – L’Express

Halloween had been a comet, asteroid will have its Christmas: December 24, a huge space object than 2 km long will “close” the Earth, but without presenting any danger.

But when it comes to close, it’s across the universe because in fact it should increase to something like 28 times the distance separating Earth from the Moon.

“It can be expected, almost every year, visits to several objects of this size at such a distance,” said Mark E. Bailey, director of the Armagh Observatory in North Ireland.

A lot further than the dead comet that was passed on October 31, Halloween day, about 500,000 km from us, or 1.3 times the distance separating Earth from the Moon.

The Christmas asteroid, dubbed 2003 SD220, was discovered in 2003. “It is not on our list of objects at risk,” said Maria-Antonietta Barucci, an astronomer at the Observatory from Paris.

“There is no danger, can be quiet, relaxed and enjoy Christmas,” added the CNRS researcher.

“You have to think, to work, keep looking objects”

The next planned move an asteroid close to Earth will take place in 2029. The asteroid Apophis will pass at a distance less than about 10 times that of the Moon, about 30,000 km. “But even he will not be so dangerous,” tempers Maria-Antonietta Barucci.

collisions between Earth and space objects over 1 km in length occur about every 100,000 years, said Mark E. Bailey.

There are 65 million years, the asteroid that caused the extinction of the dinosaurs (and even 75% of all known life forms, according to many experts) “was ten times larger SD220 that 2003 “, he said.

The specialists keep repeating for years to come, there is no real danger or the less known collision between Earth and an asteroid.

But as we do not know all space objects, “you have to think, to work, keep looking objects,” explained Maria-Antonietta Barucci. “Above all, we must study the dangerous asteroid deflection technology and test, to be ready on D-Day.”