20. At the end of the century, NASA launched the Near-Earth Object Program, which aimed to find and monitor the movements of celestial bodies with orbits that could approach our planet. More than 20,000 of these objects, also known as NEOs, have been detected to date.
Among the NASA records is one particularly notable danger. A massive asteroid larger than Big Ben is approaching Earth. According to the space agency’s Asteroid Watch Dashboard bulletin, the celestial body 2013 YD48 is about 104 meters wide. The very fast-moving asteroid will pass near Earth on January 11.
Before 2013 YD48’s visit, at the beginning of January, three more asteroids ranging in size from 4 to 12 meters will pass close to Earth. Don’t let these numbers confuse you. They may seem small, but these celestial bodies are also quite dangerous. By comparison, the 17-metre meteor that exploded in the atmosphere over Russia’s Chelyabinsk Region in 2013 damaged more than 7,000 buildings and caused $33 million in damage.
The Real Danger After 2080: 2019 SU3
While all asteroids are classified as near-Earth objects, NASA says a collision is highly unlikely. We can’t say this for after the 2080s, because the European Space Agency has also discovered an asteroid that can hit the Earth at the end of this century. This asteroid, identified as 2019 SU3, ranks fourth in the list of the most dangerous celestial objects and is likely to hit our planet on September 16, 2084.
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