Scientists say “planet killer” asteroids pose no threat to Earth for at least 1,000 years. Around 66 million years ago, non-avian dinosaurs were wiped out along with more than half the world’s species following an asteroid collision. This will not repeat soon. There are currently 1,283,023 known asteroids in all shapes and sizes, with the largest being around 329 miles (530 kilometers) in diameter., according to NASA. Researchers then analysed the distance between each asteroid and Earth. The authors identify 28 asteroids that pose a non-zero threat to Earth over the next 1,000 years, although thankfully none within the next century.
Collisions with these 28 asteroids remain unlikely. Smaller asteroids do still pose risk to Earth during the next 100 and 1,000 years. These can still lead to ‘serious devastation’. ‘More work is needed, especially in assessing the risk of asteroids smaller than 1km that still have the potential to destroy an entire city. While a collision in our lifetimes is unlikely, the majority of these smaller asteroids are still to be found,’ Professor Peter Wheatley said. Scientists around the world , such as those at NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies have been tracking the dangerous asteroids for years.
