Asteroid That Might Hit Earth in 2029 Added in ESA ‘Risk List’

• The European Space Agency immediately added an asteroid discovered on August 13 in their ‘Risk List.’
• Asteroid 2020PG6, which might hit Earth on August 31, 2029, is approximately 14 meters in diameter or 46 feet wide.
• It is unlikely to cause significant damage but could cause a powerful airburst.
• The asteroid will travel past Earth next month at a distance of 1.4 million miles.

The European Space Agency (ESA) immediately added an asteroid called 2020PG6 in their Risk List. This registry includes the names of near-Earth objects with a strong possibility of hitting our planet.

2020PG6, which they discovered on August 13th, measures 14 meters in diameter or approximately 46 feet wide. ESA is currently monitoring the asteroid and has estimated the date of impact to be on August 31,2029.

The agency calculates that the asteroid will dash towards Earth at an average speed of 29,000 miles per hour on the said date.

According to the ESA, the chances of 2020PG6 crashing against the planet isone out of 416. This asteroid, however, is one of the space rocks with the highest probability of colliding against Earth compared to the others on their list.

Although the asteroid is unlikely to cause major damage due to its size, it could consequently create a powerful airburst.

On February 15, 2013, a 65-foot-long asteroid entered Earth, burned in the atmosphere, and exploded over the city of Chelyabinsk in Russia. According to IBTimes, the shockwave was equivalent to at least 30 atomic bombs. Monitoring stations from as far as Antarctica detected the blast. Consequently, it injured about 1,200 people and damaged 7,000 buildings.

Although 2020PG6 is smaller than the Chelyabinsk meteor, it could explode mid air and produce a similar shockwave.

According to the ESA, they will learn more about 2020PG6 when it travels past our planet next month.

On September 2, 2020, the said asteroid will fly past the Earth at a distance of 0.01518 astronomical units or about 1.4 million miles.