The “lost asteroid”, which was first discovered in 2007 but has not been seen again since then, is causing some scientists to worry due to its potential to hit the Earth next year. The asteroid, called 2007 FT3, disappeared about a day after astronomers discovered it in 2007.
Since its disappearance, NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) has been trying to determine where the asteroid will go and track it, along with 32,000 other near-Earth asteroids that we know of. NASA experts think this asteroid may hit Earth next year.
Since the path of the asteroid lost in space cannot be determined exactly, naturally this collision is only a possibility. However, the probability of the missing asteroid hitting the Earth in October 2024 was determined to be approximately 1 in 11.5 million. If the asteroid hits the Earth, it will explode with the force of 2.6 billion tons of TNT. Such an impact wouldn’t be enough to destroy the planet, but it would cause massive damage where it landed, possibly sending shockwaves throughout the planet.
It can be a frightening thought to think that a currently unseen asteroid is heading towards Earth. But this isn’t the first time we’ve had to worry about this. Although it has discovered and tracked more than 30,000 near-Earth asteroids, NASA and other agencies are confident that there are large asteroids or comets that we have yet to discover due to the Sun’s strong light.
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