Today is a good day to remember that we are not alone in the universe. No, we’re not referring to intelligent life (for now), but rather to the multitude of asteroids that wander through the galaxy. While most of them don’t usually impact Earth (fortunately), sometimes they “drop by” (though without causing catastrophic damage).
A few days ago, NASA warned that an asteroid about 200 meters wide will pass close to Earth. Named 2023 CL3, this celestial body has been included in the list of “near-Earth asteroids.” It is known that an asteroid of this size could cause enormous damage if it were to collide with the planet.
Calculations indicate that the asteroid will pass close to Earth on May 24th at a distance of 7.2 million kilometers. Despite the significant distance between the planet and the asteroid, NASA scientists remain cautious, as traveling at a speed of 25,000 km/h, there is a possibility that its trajectory could change and bring it closer to Earth.
According to NASA, if such a large celestial body traveling at high speed were to come too close to Earth, it could pose a serious threat to human beings and life on the planet, as there are currently no means to defend ourselves against such an event. NASA is currently developing an asteroid defense mechanism for objects of this nature, but there is still a long way to go before its completion.
The chances of asteroid 2023 CL3 impacting Earth are minimal, but considering the series of misfortunes we have experienced in recent years, could this celestial body be the “icing on the cake”?
Some of the links added in the article are part of affiliate campaigns and may represent benefits for Softonic.
