Today in news that will make you say, “how very 2020,” it’s been reported that an asteroid is currently powering towards Earth.
As astrophysicist and cosmologist Brad Tucker wrote for the Canberra Times, the asteroid is travelling at a casual speed of 85,000 km/hr and there is a chance it will hit a day before the US election. Again, sounds fitting really. If that’s not the image of impending doom, I truly don’t know what is.
This asteroid – named 2018VP1 – apparently has a one in 200 chance of making contact with our lovely little planet. Thankfully, due to its size, however, it’s not expected to cause all that much damage if it does.
According to the Canberra Times, again, an asteroid of this size (two metres wide) may leave folks feeling shockwaves. It may also explode and “put on a big light show” for those nearby, but no, no one is predicting an Armageddon type situation if we draw the short straw of that one in 200 chance.
Apparently, it’s not all that uncommon for smaller asteroids to make contact with Earth. They’re just so tiny that they have no noticeable consequences. So, that’s pretty comforting, I suppose?
Anyway, the way this year is going I wouldn’t be surprised if old mate 2018VP1 did smack right on into us. Everything else seems to be turning out as terribly as possible, so we may as well add this to the list.
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