Russian astronomers have discovered another potentially dangerous asteroid that is estimated to dart past Earth in 2065 at a distance of only 7,000km.
The Asteroid, initially named MASDA1 has been officially
registered Minor Planet Center and received an index code ‘2013
UG1’
Asteroid 2013 UG1 was discovered by Russian astronomers using
MASTER network telescope, located in Buryatia, Siberia. The
discovery, has so far been confirmed by American, Italian ,
German , Chilean and British astronomers, Vladimir Lipunov, head
of MASTER telescope network told Ria.
The asteroid has been
officially classified as potentially dangerous because of its
initial trajectory which scientist calculated to be 0.05
Astronomical units or 7.5 million km between its orbit and the
orbit of the Earth.
However new data indicates that the course can be as close as 0.0013 astronomical units or 194,000km.
A potentially hazardous object must have a diameter of at least
100 to 150 meters and a minimum orbit intersection distance to
the planet of 0.05 astronomical units or less.
NASA’s near-Earth object program lists 1435 known Potentially
Hazardous Asteroids. Eleven have been discovered in the last
60 days, including the 2013 UG1.
US space agency predicts that the asteroid will pass around
20,000km from the planet's orbit. Scientists from Pisa University
provide a different calculations saying that on October 17, 2065
the asteroid could pass only 7,000km from the Earth, RIA Novosti
reports.
Earlier this months, Russian scientists in the Crimea discovered another potentially hazardous
410-meter asteroid that is headed on a dangerous trajectory
towards the Earth in 2032.