Asteroid news: NASA scientist admits 'we can't detect them until they're close'

The NASA-funded Catalina Sky Survey (CSS) project is supported by the Near Earth Object Observation Program under the Planetary Defense Coordination Office. CSS Senior Research Specialist Richard Kowalski holds the world record for discovering asteroids – but only just before they impact Earth. Asteroid expert Mr Kowalski’s most recent incoming-space rock discovery came down in Botswana in June 2018.

Like the one in Sudan in 2008, this asteroid exploded in the air and caused no harm.

And as with his previous two discoveries, the turn-around time between detection and impact was not very long.

He told NASA’s ‘The Sky Is Falling’ podcast just how little time can elapse between detection and impact, despite the ever-improving technological advances.

Mr Kowalski said: “Between my first observations and the time of impact was about 20 hours.

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NASA asteroid facts:

Our planet is daily bombarded by more than 100 tons of small space particles.

On average once a year, a car-sized asteroid collides with Earth’s atmosphere, creating a glaringly-bright fireball as it burns-up before reaching the surface.

Approximately every 2,000 years a meteoroid the size of a football field hits Earth, causing significant carnage to the area.

NASA has calculated an object large enough to threaten Earth’s civilisation comes along once every few million years.

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Impact craters on Earth, the Moon and other planetary bodies are proof this has happened.

Asteroids smaller than about 82ft (25m) usually incinerate as they enter the Earth’s atmosphere, causing little or no damage.

When meteoroids smaller than half a mile (1km) hit Earth, they can likely cause significant damage to the local impact area.

NASA believes anything larger than one and a half mile (2km) could have devastating results around the world.

At 3.3 miles (5.4km) across, the largest known potentially hazardous asteroid is Toutatis.

By comparison, asteroids existing in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, posing no threat to Earth, can be as large as 583 miles (940km) across.

source: express.co.uk