Gennady Borisov made a discovery that threatens our planet with unpleasant consequences.
More recently, an employee of the Crimean Station of the Sternberg Russian Astronomical Institute discovered an asteroid that could potentially threaten our planet. As Borisov said, the new space object was named "2013 TV135".
“The discovery was made on the night of October 12-13 using a telescope of our own making. It has a large field of view, high aperture and is intended for observing fast objects and searching for comets. I was making planned observations and suddenly I saw a fast moving object,”the scientist explained.
The information received was sent to the International Minor Planet Center in the United States, where it was confirmed that the Crimean was the first to see a new near-Earth and potentially dangerous asteroid.
“Such objects are generally rare. In July, I discovered the first Ukrainian comet, but some say that this find will be cooler. The asteroid is open in the constellation Giraffe, but where it comes from, I still cannot say. It is now four times farther from the Earth than the Moon - about 1.5 million kilometers away. The diameter of the asteroid is 410 meters, its composition is still unknown,”the astronomer said.
According to scientists, in the summer of 2032, an asteroid may collide with the Earth. In this case, the force of the explosion when falling will reach 2500 megatons in TNT equivalent. “If such an object hits the Earth, then the consequences of this will be a global catastrophe on a continental scale. The main role will be played by the angle at which the asteroid falls, from which side and into which surface it will crash. But in any case, it can turn into disastrous consequences, "- explained to" Segodnya "junior researcher at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory Sergey Nazarov.
According to the Turin Scale, which is used to calculate the danger of a body by its size, mass and the likelihood of a collision, 2013 TV135 is currently considered the most dangerous known. The last such object, the asteroid Apophis, was discovered over 10 years ago. But its diameter was almost 100 meters less than that of the current find - 330 meters. In 2029 and 2036, Apophis will fly up to Earth at a dangerous distance. But, according to the latest estimates, the probability of a collision is approaching zero every day. In general, astronomer Sergei Nazarov advises not to worry - modern technology allows you to avoid such disasters. True, so far only in theory, practice has not yet been.
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Tsar bomb - children's toy
How does the 2013 TV135 hazard compare? The world's most powerful hydrogen Tsar Bomb, also known as Kuz'kina's mother, was detonated at the end of October 1961 at the Novaya Zemlya special polygon. So its capacity, in comparison with the discovery of Borisov, is "children's" and amounted to only 50 megatons.
The scientist is advised to take more seriously the news of the appearance of an asteroid over our heads. The CrAO assures that this is far from being a character of old prophecies: “You need to understand that this is a scientific discovery of a really flying body, which is observed in all observatories in the world. This is not the mythical planet Nibiru, the existence of which is known only from legends."
By the way, it will not work to blow up 2013 TV135. According to experts, the method shown in the Hollywood "Armageddon" will not lead to anything good - the fragments from the exploded asteroid will fall to the ground anyway.
