The probability of the event, which two weeks ago stood at 1:75, has currently dropped to only 1 in 10,000. The new calculations showed that the asteroid will not collide in the next century either with Mars or with the Earth
We apologize for disappointing those of you who were expecting D-Nor fireworks from Adimayim at the end of the month. The Near Earth Object Program Office at NASA ruled out the possibility that the asteroid 2007 WD5 will hit Mars. The probability of the event, which two weeks ago stood at 1:75, has currently dropped to only 1 in 10,000. Moreover, the new calculations showed that the asteroid will not collide in the next century either with Mars or with the Earth - two planets whose orbit crosses their orbits.
Recent tracking measurements of the asteroid from several observatories around the world have been able to significantly reduce uncertainties regarding the asteroid's position during its approach to Mars on January 30, 2008. The best estimates of 2007 WD5 It will pass approximately 26 km from the center of the planet at approximately six in the morning Israel time on January 30. The Office of Near-Earth Objects at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory estimates with 99.7% certainty that the asteroid will not come closer than 4,000 km from the surface of Mars.
the asteroid 2007 WD5 which is about 50 meters in diameter was discovered at the end of November 2007 by astronomers from the University of Arizona as part of the Catalonia sky survey. Other telescopes that have tracked the asteroid since then were the Kite Peak Telescope in Arizona, the Sloan Digital Sky Scanner in New Mexico, the New Mexico Institute of Technology's Magdalena Ridge Observatory, the Multiple Mirror Telescope in Arizona, the Mauna Kea Telescope in Hawaii, and the Callar-Alto Observatory in Spain.
Its impact on Mars, if it does happen, is expected to open a crater with a diameter of about 800 meters on the surface of Mars. Many scientists were excited by the possibility of such an event, which could be tracked using the many satellites orbiting Mars and the robots patrolling its bottom.
NASA's space watch constantly monitors near-Earth objects such as 2007 WD5 And its goal is to discover 90% of all bodies larger than 1 km. JPL's Office of Near-Earth Objects says that this goal should be realized within a few years. Every asteroid that is discovered is continuously monitored for fear of its possible impact on Earth.
For information on the website of the Office of Near Earth Objects of NASA
One response
Wow, it's pretty exciting even as it approaches Earth.
What a beauty. I (with my son) will try to watch it.