Is it true that a huge asteroid will hit Earth in May 2022?

Messages that the planet Earth canfall a huge asteroid, appear almost every year. For example, in 2019, the Internet often talked about the likelihood of a collision with our planet of the space object 2006 QV89. However, calculations showed that the risk of its fall is only 0.00014%, so the hype around the asteroid was inflated in vain - no catastrophe happened. But in the article in which we talked about this space guest, the asteroid 2009 JF1 was mentioned, which was supposed to approach us in 2022. We are talking about an object whose dimensions are compared by some sources with the height of the Egyptian pyramid of Giza. It is believed that if such an asteroid falls to Earth, energy will be released, which is several tens more than in the atomic explosion in Hiroshima in 1945. The year of the approach of the asteroid 2009 JF1 has come - so what, will a catastrophe happen soon in the world?

The Internet again scares the possible fall of an asteroid to Earth, but is it necessary to panic?

Content

• 1 Features of asteroid 2009 JF1
• 2 How dangerous is asteroid 2009 JF1?
• 3 Can asteroid 2009 JF1 be seen?
• 4 Possible consequences of the fall of asteroid 2009 JF1

Features of asteroid 2009 JF1

There is always a risk of an asteroid falling to Earth,therefore, scientists constantly monitor objects flying near our planet. Asteroid 2009 JF1, as its name implies, was discovered in 2009. Many sources say that a potentially dangerous object has a size of 128 meters, that is, it is as large as the pyramid of Giza located in Egypt - its height reaches 136 meters. It is believed that an object of this size will collide with the Earth's surface, there will be an explosion with a capacity of 230 kilotons of TNT. For comparison, the atomic bomb "Kid" dropped on Hiroshima in 1945 caused an explosion with a yield of 15 kilotons of TNT.

An asteroid impact could cause an explosion stronger than an atomic bomb.

In theory, an explosion from a fallen asteroid coulddestroy a city with millions of inhabitants. The situation will not improve, even if it falls into the ocean - a tsunami will arise, the waves of which will also cause serious destruction and death of a huge number of people. Some sources believe that this space object may be the most dangerous since the existence of dinosaurs.

Asteroid impact could cause devastating tsunami

How dangerous is asteroid 2009 JF1?

Perhaps with such messages foreign publicationsjust trying to create sensational news. In fact, according to more official sources like the European Space Agency (ESA), asteroid 2009 JF1 is only 10 meters in diameter. It will approach our planet in the period from May 5 to 15, but, judging by the trajectory of its movement, no collision will occur. It will fly at a distance of about 23 million kilometers, and the probability of a collision is only 1 in 4,000.

Approximate flight path of asteroid 2009 JF1

Can you see asteroid 2009 JF1?

Some scholars believe that the distance betweenEarth and asteroid 2009 JF1 will be so large that it will be impossible to see with conventional telescopes. At the declared distance, the brightness of the space object will be only 26 apparent stellar magnitudes, therefore, in order to notice it, you need to use only powerful ground-based observatories. Moreover, there is an assumption that even they will not be able to fix the movement of the asteroid - perhaps space telescopes will be involved. And you need to track the object, because astronomers still do not know its exact trajectory. Small asteroids like 2009 JF1 have a tendency to change path rapidly, so it's important to be on the lookout.

Notice the asteroid 2009 JF1 will be possible only with the help of ground or space observatories

See also: Why do asteroids have strange "dumbbell" and "duck" shapes?

Possible consequences of the fall of asteroid 2009 JF1

It turns out that the probability of a collisionthere is still asteroid 2009 JF1 with the Earth, but in 2022 there is no need to be afraid of this. If he falls, it will happen in the future, and it is far from certain that he will cause serious destruction. For comparison, the diameter of the meteorite that fell in 2013 in the Chelyabinsk region was 18 meters, and the mass reached 11 thousand tons. The speed of the meteorite during the fall was from 20 to 70 kilometers per second, and glass was broken in many houses from the released energy - fragments injured about 1615 people. However, the destruction of entire cities was out of the question. Given that the asteroid 2009 JF1 is smaller, the effects will clearly be less noticeable. In addition, there is a possibility that it will fall into the ocean. In this case, the risk of a tsunami will also be negligible.

Asteroid 2009 JF1 is smaller than the Chelyabinsk meteorite

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Astronomers believe that it is necessary to be afraidspace objects that have a diameter of more than one kilometer. These asteroids include Bennu, whose size is about 525 meters - it is expected to fall to Earth in 2182, and some sources report earlier dates. The technology to protect the Earth from the asteroid Bennu is already being developed by Chinese scientists.