The 50-meter asteroid 2023 DW could give our planet a Valentine's Day gift. Moreover, the celestial body
What is known
Until recently, our planet was inabout total security. The danger from a collision with any space body was equal to zero. 2023 DW is currently the only asteroid with a non-zero hazard rating.
Scientists assigned 2023 DW the 1st degree of danger.The European Space Agency (ESA) estimates the probability of a collision as 1 in 625. The National Aeronautics and Useful Space Administration (NASA) is less optimistic - 1 in 560. At the same time, all asteroids that received the 1st degree of danger eventually moved to category zero.
This happened after scientists, asobservations of objects refined their trajectories. In the case of 2023 DW, there is still time. According to preliminary calculations, the asteroid will first approach the Earth on February 14, 2046. On this day, it will fly up to our planet at 1.8 million km. If an error is made in the calculations, then the flight path may intersect with the Earth. If this does not happen, then until 2054 it will have another nine chances to crash into our planet.
Now 2023 DW is at a distance of 18 million kmfrom U.S. It moves in an orbit around the Sun with a period of 271 days at a speed of 25 km/s. If, over time, scientists determine that the asteroid will crash into the Earth, it is possible that NASA will use the DART probe to change the flight path of 2023 DW. It has already demonstrated its effectiveness in 2022. In September, a kamikaze probe crashed into the asteroid Dimorphos, which is located at a distance of 11 million and does not pose a threat to the Earth.