‘Potentially hazardous’ asteroid & Geomagnetic Storm Headed Toward Earth

‘Potentially hazardous’ asteroid & Geomagnetic Storm Headed Toward Earth

A gigantic asteroid which is larger than the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, will hurtle past our planet in around two weeks time.

The 2002 AJ129 asteroid has been classed a 'potentially hazardous' by Nasa and will fly past at speeds of 67,000mph (107,826kmh).

This makes it nearly 15 times faster than the world's quickest manned aircraft - the hypersonic North American X-15, which travelled at 4,520mph (7,300kmh). 


 

The asteroid is around 0.7 miles (1.1km) wide - making it longer than the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, which stands at 0.5 miles high (0.8km).

It is set to pass by our planet on the 4th February at a distance of around 2,615,128 miles (4,208,641km) away - which is relatively close in space terms.

For reference, the distance between the Earth and the moon is 238,855 miles (384,400 km). 

Nasa describes asteroids as 'hazardous' if they come within 4,600,000 miles (7,403,00km) of our planet. 

It is the largest space rock to brush past our planet this year and previous research has found a rock of this size could plunge Earth into a mini-ice age if it hit.

The impact would cause average temperatures around the world to fall by as much as 8°C, according to a 2016 study on the effects of a collision with a 0.6-mile-wide (1km) asteroid.

Scientists warned the 'very severe global impact' would last several years, causing the world to become a much darker, colder and drier place.

'These would not be pleasant times,' Charles Bardeen, of the National Center for Atmospheric Research said during a presentation at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) at the time.

For the rest:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5279587/A-potentially-hazardous-asteroid-flying-past-Earth.html

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Geomagnetic storm to strike earth this Friday

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A geomagnetic storm is expected to blast the Earth in three days time – a phenomenon that could bring entire globe to a standstill as banks, hospitals, and governments fail, it has been claimed.  The storm, due to hit on Friday, January 19, is caused by gaseous material flowing from a hole in the sun’s atmosphere – ejecting a stream of solar wind. The G1-class storm is the mildest on the NOAA space weather scale, however, could still cause
“weak power grid fluctuations”, “minor impact on satellite operations” and effects on migratory animals. Skywatchers meanwhile cold catch a glimpse of beautiful lights in the sky, with auroras potentially visible in the evening. Geomagnetic storms are feared for their ability to affect electrical power across the world, with a G-5 category storm capable of widespread voltage control problems, protective system problems, the complete collapse of grid systems and damage to electrical transformers. READ MORE