Big Asteroid 2011AG5 Could Threaten Earth in 2040

摘要

Scientists are keeping a close eye on a big asteroid that may pose an impact threat to Earth in a few decades. The asteroid, which is called 2011 AG5, is about 140 meters wide. It may come close enough to Earth in 2040 that some researchers are calling for a discussion about how to deflect it. Talk about the asteroid was on the agenda during the 49th session of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS), held last month in Vienna. A U.N. action team on near-Earth objects (NEOs) noted the asteroid's repeat approaches to Earth and the possibility that 2011 AG5 might smack into our planet 28 years from now.