A space body, which astronomers have identified as an asteroid, caught the attention of the POT for its trajectory and was included in the space agency’s risk list. It is about 2023 DW, which could collide with Earth in 2046, right on Valentine’s Day.

That’s what scientists say the chance of the asteroid hitting is 1 in 560. On March 1, the chance turned out to be 1 in 1,2000, but the risk has increased.

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“Several weeks of data are needed to reduce uncertainties and adequately predict their jobs years in the future,” NASA said in a statement.

2023 DW currently tops the NASA risk list with a 1 on the Torino scale, meaning that there is no cause for public concern at this time. “Current calculations show that the possibility of a collision is extremely unlikely without cause for public attention or concern. New telescopic sightings will most likely lead to reassignment to level 0.”

However, the space agency notes that it would warn the public if 2023 reaches DW 3 on the scale.

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Although the asteroid is rated at 1, it can go up to 10 on the scale, labeled ‘Collisions Assured’.

“Collision is assured, capable of triggering a global climate catastrophe that could threaten the future of civilization as we know it, whether it strikes the land or the ocean,” reads 10’s description. But these events occur once every 100,000 years, so there is no warning yet.

DART mission

Last year, NASA launched a successful mission to divert space objects such as asteroids. DARTthe ship, collided with a small moon called Dimorphos orbiting its parent asteroid, Didymos.

Scientists at Northern Arizona University said: “This serves as a proof of concept for the planetary defense kinetic impactor technique, which DART needed to demonstrate that an asteroid could be attacked during a high-velocity encounter and that the target trajectory would can change”.