In the last few hours, the POT issued an alert about the approach of a asteroid classified as “potentially dangerous”which sparked interest on social media. Among the users who reacted is the businessman Elon Muskwho shared a disturbing reflection on the future of humanity and what he considers its only chance of survival.
Elon Musk, known for his companies Tesla, SpaceX and X, did not miss the opportunity to comment on the NASA report, released by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the entity responsible for monitoring and predicting the trajectories of space objects that could pose a threat to Earth. Tuesday 17th and Wednesday 18thJPL anticipated the passage of Five near-Earth asteroids, two of them with significant dimensions. The largest, called 2024 ONwill approach at a distance of just 1,000,000 kilometersthat is, some three times the separation between the Earth and the Moon.
This asteroid has been classified as “potentially hazardous” due to Its size is comparable to that of a football stadium.with a diameter of 290 metersand its impressive speed of 36,000 km/h, almost 29 times the speed of sound. Although NASA and JPL said there is no risk of impactfears about the possibility of a future asteroid collision with similar characteristics were quick to arise.
Musk’s apocalyptic vision
Musk He was emphatic in his assessment of the future of the Earthstating: “At some point, A giant comet will hit Earth and wipe out almost all lifeas has happened in the past. Over time, the The Sun will expand enough to evaporate the oceans and eliminate all forms of life.”.
According to the tycoon, Humanity has only two options to avoid extinction: “Become a space-dwelling civilization or perish.”he concluded. This type of statement is link directly with the million-dollar investments that Musk has made for more than 15 years in the field of space exploration through your company SpaceX. The company has developed rockets and spaceships which, so far, have been used to launch satellites and make trips to the International Space Station.
Nevertheless, His short-term ambitions are focused on developing the technology necessary to make interplanetary trips.. Mars It is the main objectivewith the plan to establish a human colony on the red planet and thus expand humanity’s presence in the cosmos. To do so, SpaceX and NASA have scheduled several missions in the coming yearsalthough an exact date for its execution has not yet been set.
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Other asteroids that will approach Earth
In addition to the 2024 ON, others four minor asteroids will approach Earth on the same dates. Although they will all pass at a greater distance and They do not represent a dangerits characteristics have been reported.
The first one, New Year 2024measures 16 meters and will approach a distance of 1,100,000 kilometers. The second, 2024 RR16with a diameter of 17 meterswill pass to 3,610,000 kilometers.
On Wednesday, two more asteroids will complete this series of close approaches. Fall/Winter 2013 and 2024 RZ13 will approach distances of 2,020,000 and 3,950,000 kilometersrespectively. Their sizes are 155 and 16 meters.
Near-Earth Objects: Constant Surveillance
According to JPL, the near earth objectswhether asteroids or comets, are those whose orbit places them less than 195,000,000 kilometers from the Sun. The Most of these objects do not pose a threatbut a small fraction of them, known as “potentially hazardous” asteroids, require more careful monitoring. These asteroids are larger than 140 meters and come within 7.5 million kilometers of Earth’s orbit.
Source: Ambito
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