The planet Earth is under several environmental threats over the years which hampers with its existence. But other than the crisis of global warming, pollution, population explosion, extinction of several species, it even faces threats from the universe. After all a part of the universe and a solar system, the Earth faces potential threats from space-rock collisions. Every few months, we read of asteroid flybys to the Earth, but the latest news of God of Chaos asteroid seems worrying. The massive asteroid rock is said to hit the earth in the next ten years ie 2029. It became quite a buzz after Tesla founder Elon Musk tweeted that Earth has no defence against the oncoming asteroid. However, this is not the first time such worrying asteroid collisions updates have come up. God of Chaos maybe still a decade away, we look at the warnings of the other potentially hazardous asteroids which missed crashing onto the Earth this year itself. 

God of Chaos gets its name after the Egyptian god of evil. This asteroid’s course from Earth is atypically close, so even a slight detour could mean a catastrophe. The asteroid, was named by NASA as 99942 Apophis, is reportedly 340 metres wide and will be travelling at about 25,000 mph. Even the slightest touch could prove to be a dangerous one to the planet. ‘God of Chaos’ Asteroid to Hit Earth in 2029? Elon Musk Warns of ‘No Defence’! Here’s Everything to Know About the ‘Doomsday Alert’.

Potential Doomsday Threats to Earth Due to Asteroid Collisions

Asteroid 2019 OK- July 2019

Asteroid named 2019 OK is a near-Earth asteroid which was suddenly discovered almost on the same day as its flyby from the Earth. Sized at 57 to 130 meters it was detected on July 24, 2019. It made its closest approach to the Earth a day later. On July 25, 2019, the space rock was less than a lunar distance to the Moon. It passed from approximately 71,354 km, less than one-fifth of the distance to the Moon by the planet at a speed of 88,500 kilometres per hour. Asteroid Alert: Three Massive Asteroids To Fly Past Earth Today, One To be Closer Than Moon.

Asteroid 2006 QQ23- August 2019

There were reports that Asteroid named 2006 QQ23 would hit the planet this month. This asteroid was first observed on August 21, 2006, and its orbital movements were observed since 1901. This space rock measured about 1,870 feet in diameter, greater than the height of the Empire State Building. While there were several reports of a collision to the planet since July, 2006 QQ23 made a safe flyby from 7.4 million kilometres from the Earth. It also won't be a threat in the future. This too was a potentially hazardous object.

Asteroid 1999 KW4- May 2019

This was not a single, but a binary asteroid that passed by the Earth on May 25, 2019.  It travelled at a speed of 77,446 kmph. Approximately 1.3 kilometres in diameter, it was discovered in May 1999. This asteroid has a minor-planet moon orbiting around it. It did not look like any other space rock but a system of two space rocks. The asteroid will not be in close approach of the Earth until 2036 next.

There are numerous asteroid flybys which take place every month but because of their small size, they are not much reported about. So while there may still be reports of doomsday coming in with asteroid hits, we have seen the day through all of the above objects, which flew by a close distance from the Earth. While God of Chaos is still a decade away, NASA mentioned that they have already begun preparing for the arrival of this giant space rock.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 22, 2019 01:38 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).