World ending space rock that could unleash new ice age to brush past Earth NEXT WEEK

Saheli 28 Jul 2016 News Comments Off on World ending space rock that could unleash new ice age to brush past Earth NEXT WEEK 234 Views

World ending space rock

Astronomers are watching the massive space rock closely as just a tiny change in its flight path could mean it collides with Earth, unleashing catastrophic consequences.

The 120m-long mass of rock is making a “close approach” to earth on August 2, according NASA scientists.

Experts say anything larger than 100m in length have the potential to unleash potential world-ending effects, creating an extinction level event.

One such doomsday scenario could see the asteroid trigger a mini ice age if it struck earth.

World ending space rockGETTY

DOOM: An ice age could be triggered if the space rock hit earth

“These would not be pleasant times”

Charles Bardeen, of the National Center for Atmospheric Research

The powerful impact would throw dust up into the atmosphere, causing average temperatures to plummet to as low as 8C globally.

The “severe global impact” would last several years, scientists say, with the world becoming a much colder and darker place.

Charles Bardeen, of the National Center for Atmospheric Research, said these cooler temperatures would be “about the equivalent of the ice ages”.

“These would not be pleasant times,” he warned.

NASA keeps track of any asteroids or comets that are expected to pass within 4.6million miles of the centre of the Earth – which are called “close approaches”.

Thankfully the asteroid, named 2016 NX22, is set to pass us at a safe distance, soaring past at a comfortable 4.5million km away.

But due to its size, it is still classed as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroids, which are space rocks larger than approximately 100m.

And due to the uncertainty of its flight path, and in space terms its distance remains a whisker away, the threat is very real.

Conspiracy theorists are having a field day online, with many videos claiming the huge asteroid will crash into our planet destroying human life just next month.

But last year NASA cast doubt on alarmist claims, saying none will actually hit earth for hundreds of years.

A spokesman said: “NASA knows of no asteroid or comet currently on a collision course with Earth, so the probability of a major collision is quite small.

“In fact, as best as we can tell, no large object is likely to strike the Earth any time in the next several hundred years.

“NASA has also made asteroid detection a top priority, and are developing strategies for identifying asteroids that could pose a risk to our planet.”

[Source:- DAILY STAR]

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