Humongous Asteroid Could Strike Earth in 2040

Humongous Asteroid Could Strike Earth in 2040

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Scientists are keeping a close eye on a big asteroid that may pose an impact threat to Earth in a few decades. The space rock, which is called 2011 AG5, is about 460 feet wide. It may come close enough to Earth in 2040 that some researchers are calling for a discussion about how to deflect it.

Talk about the asteroid was on the agenda during the 49th session of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, held in February in Vienna. A UN Action Team on near-Earth objects noted the asteroid’s repeat approaches to Earth and the possibility — however remote — that 2011 AG5 might smack into our planet 28 years from now. While scientists have a good bead on the space rock’s size, its mass and compositional makeup are unknown at present.