“Powerful as a Hydrogen Bomb!”

Artist impression of the Asteroid

Yes, an Asteroid is rushing on its way to Earth but before you could shiver and tremble, you should calm down and listen! an Asteroid is expected to pass ‘very’ closely to planet Earth on February 15. Many such objects pass through the planet but this Asteroid seems to be the closet one yet. Asteroid in the form of Meteorites can enter the Earth’s atmosphere, they are mostly very small. According to scientist Don Yeomans;

“About 100 tons of rocks come in from space every day, they are mostly small, from the size of a grain of sand to the size of a human fist.”

What is 2012 DA14?

“A big relief for Earthlings “

A near collision missed?

NASA has named the asteroid as 2012 DA14, it would be moving towards the Earth at the speed of 7.8 kilometers per second which is eight times faster than the bullet speed. The Asteroid is half as long as a football which is about 45 meters. On February 15, it would be 17,100 miles from our planet’s surface, which is pretty close! Thus making a record-close pass.

What could have happened on February 15?

If the Asteroid had hit the Earth then it would have unleashed the same amount of strength as that of a hydrogen bomb (more powerful than atomic bomb). According to the UK-based newspaper, if the asteroid would have hit London city then whole city would have been flattened to debris and dust.

Can I see it?

If you live in Eastern Europe, Asia and Australia then you might be able to see a small point of light moving across the sky but it would not be visible to the naked eye. A telescope is a must!

Will it be visible in Pakistan?

It might be visible in Pakistan at 12:26 am on February 16 but due to western system, cloudy condition could occur in northern while partial cloudy in central parts. Southern parts may have more sky than cloudy!