Asteroid to cause Tsunamis, destroy countries if hits Earth: UP-based Astronomer

Astronomer Amar Pal Singh from Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur-based Veer Bahadur Singh Planetarium cautioned that if asteroid - 1998 OR2 - happens to divert from its path and hits earth it may cause Tsunamis or destroy several countries.

Hyderabad: With an asteroid estimated to be 1.5 miles wide set to fly past Earth on Wednesday, Astronomer Amar Pal Singh from Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur-based Veer Bahadur Singh Planetarium cautioned that if the asteroid happens to divert from its path and hits earth it may cause Tsunamis that will destroy several countries.

“If the asteroid which is travelling at a speed higher than a rocket collides with planet earth or any other planetary body it will cause immense damage...it may cause tsunamis or destroy several countries,” said Singh.

The asteroid called 1998 OR2, will come to about 3.9 million miles away on Wednesday – 16 times further than the distance to the Moon – when it makes its closest approach.

specifics of asteroid 1998 OR2

It was discovered by the Near-Earth Asteroid Tracking program at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in July 1998, and for the past two decades, astronomers at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico have been tracking it.

According to NASA, this asteroid poses no possibility of impact for at least the next 200 years. Its next close approach to Earth will occur in 2079 when it will pass by closer — only about four times the lunar distance.

However, the asteroid is still classed as a potentially hazardous object (PHO) because it is bigger than 140 metres and will come within five million miles of Earth’s orbit.