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02/09/2003
Asteroid on possible collision course with Earth
A potential asteroid impact on the Earth has been predicted by a leading Belfast-based academic.
Dr Alan Fitzsimmons of Queen’s University, Belfast revealed that the asteroid, known as 2003 QQ47, could hit the Earth on 21 March 2014. The impact has been given a Torino hazard rating of 1, defined as ‘an event meriting careful monitoring’.
While the overall probability of the asteroid impacting Earth is 909,000 to 1, Dr Fitzsimmons, one of the expert team advising the UK NEO information Centre, said his centre would continue to track the object.
“The NEO will be observable from Earth for the next two months, and astronomers will continue to track it over this period," he said.
Lincoln Near Earth Asteroid Research Program (LINEAR), operating out of Socorro, New Mexico, first observed the giant rock on 24 August and reported their observations to the Minor Planet Centre in Massachusetts. The Minor Planet Centre plays a crucial role as the clearinghouse for all new discoveries of asteroids and comets.
Kevin Yates, project manager for the UK NEO Information Centre, said that further detailed observations had yet to be carried out on the object and it was likely that the chance of it hitting the Earth would diminish.
(MB)
Dr Alan Fitzsimmons of Queen’s University, Belfast revealed that the asteroid, known as 2003 QQ47, could hit the Earth on 21 March 2014. The impact has been given a Torino hazard rating of 1, defined as ‘an event meriting careful monitoring’.
While the overall probability of the asteroid impacting Earth is 909,000 to 1, Dr Fitzsimmons, one of the expert team advising the UK NEO information Centre, said his centre would continue to track the object.
“The NEO will be observable from Earth for the next two months, and astronomers will continue to track it over this period," he said.
Lincoln Near Earth Asteroid Research Program (LINEAR), operating out of Socorro, New Mexico, first observed the giant rock on 24 August and reported their observations to the Minor Planet Centre in Massachusetts. The Minor Planet Centre plays a crucial role as the clearinghouse for all new discoveries of asteroids and comets.
Kevin Yates, project manager for the UK NEO Information Centre, said that further detailed observations had yet to be carried out on the object and it was likely that the chance of it hitting the Earth would diminish.
(MB)
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Northern Ireland WeatherToday:It will be cloudy again throughout the day. Mainly dry in the morning, but patchy drizzle in places, becoming more widespread and persistent in the afternoon. Freshening southwesterly winds. Maximum temperature 12 °C.Tonight:Cloudy with a spell of heavy rain pushing south through late evening and the early hours, followed by some clear spells. Minimum temperature 6 °C.
