The small asteroid has a probability of impact with Earth of 1 in 625
An asteroid about 50 meters in diameter, discovered on February 26, is on a path that poses little risk of impacting Earth on February 14, 2046.
“We have been tracking a new asteroid called 2023 DW that has a very small probability of impacting Earth in 2046. Often when new objects are first discovered, several weeks of data are needed to reduce uncertainties and adequately predict their orbits. in the future,” explains NASA on the Twitter account dedicated to asteroid tracking.
When will it approach the planet?
Its closest approach to Earth is expected on February 14, 2046 at 1.8 million kilometers from Earth. NASA orbit analysts will continue to monitor asteroid 2023 DW and update predictions as more data comes in.
The asteroid, discovered from the MAP San Pedro de Atacama Observatory, has an estimated diameter of 49 meters and is currently 0.12 astronomical units from Earth, circulating at a relative speed of 24.63 kilometers per second with respect to the Sun. Its orbital period is 271 days.
ESA’s Near-Earth Object Coordination Center forecasts a direct hit probability of 1 in 625 as of March 8, although these probabilities are recalculated daily. (Europe Press)