ESA Detects 2 New Asteroids With Non-Zero Earth Impact Probabilities

KEY POINTS

The ESA added two new asteroids to its Risk List
Asteroids 2020 OX4 and 2020 OR4 have a slim chance of hitting Earth before the century ends
The asteroids could cause powerful airbursts equivalent to multiple atomic bombs

The European Space Agency (ESA) has added two new asteroids to its Risk List. The data collected by the agency showed that both objects have a chance of colliding with Earth in the future.

The two asteroids were recently included in the ESA’s Risk List, which is an official catalog of known near-Earth objects that have non-zero impact probabilities. This means that all asteroids featured on the list have a chance of hitting Earth.

The new additions to ESA’s Risk List have been identified as 2020 OX4 and 2020 OR4. The asteroids were added to the list by the ESA three days ago.

In the data collected by the ESA, 2020 OX4 measures about 131 feet wide, while 2020 OR4 has an estimated diameter of around 85 feet. The agency predicted that 2020 OX4 has a chance of colliding with Earth on July 18, 2088. The ESA indicated that the asteroid may hit the planet during this time at a speed of almost 46,000 miles per hour.

As for 2020 OR4, the ESA stated that this asteroid has a small chance of hitting Earth on Jan. 20, 2093, while traveling at an average velocity of almost 54,000 miles per hour.

Based on the sizes of these two asteroids, 2020 OX4 and 2020 OR4 may not cause impact events on Earth if they do collide with the planet. Instead of hitting the ground, they are more likely to burn up in the atmosphere and produce powerful mid-air explosions.

Given their size and speed, the energy from their airbursts would be equivalent to multiple atomic bombs. Although they wouldn’t cause impact events, their mid-air explosions could be powerful enough to damage buildings and other solid structures on the ground.

The chances of these asteroids hitting Earth in the future depend on various factors in space, such as the gravitational pull of nearby planets and the heat generated by sunlight. As noted by the ESA, the chances of these two cosmic objects colliding with Earth in the future are slim.

As indicated in the Risk List, the odds of 2020 OX4 colliding with Earth are one out of 934,579. 2020 OR4’s chances, on the other hand, are one out of 222,222.