NASA is 99.998% certain Asteroid 2013 TV135 won’t hit the Earth in 20 years

Shane McGlaun - Oct 18, 2013

What some classifies as one of the most dangerous asteroids ever discovered zipped past the Earth last month. The asteroid is called 2013 TV135 and the asteroid will again pass close by the Earth in about 20 years. The asteroid made headlines again when reports surfaced that there was a chance the Earth and the asteroid could collide on the next orbit.

If asteroid 2013 TV135 hit the earth, it would reportedly release a force as powerful as a few thousand atomic bombs. It would be a massive impact indeed, and considering the damage done by the much smaller meteor that passed over Russia, the thought of the carnage should the asteroid impact Earth is chilling.

However, NASA stepped up and was quick to try and calm people down stating that it was 99.998% sure when the asteroid passes by the Earth again in 2032 no impact will happen. NASA rates the odds of the asteroid hitting the earth at 1:63,000. People hit the lottery every month with odds significantly less likely than that.

The good news is that NASA is constantly reworking the odds of an impact in 2032 as it learns more about the asteroid. NASA scientists believe that with more observations of the asteroid, which was only recently discovered, it will be able to reduce the chances of impact or entirely rule out any chance. The asteroid is rated 1 out of a possible 10 on the Torino Impact Hazard Scale. That rating means that the asteroid poses “no unusual level of danger.”


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