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Could NASA stop the asteroid hitting Earth? SHIVALI BEST explores

MailOnline
Summary
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71% Informative

Asteroid 2024 YR4 has a 1-in-67 ( 1.5% ) chance of hitting Earth on December 22, 2032 .

It is estimated to be about 130 to 300 feet ( 40 to 90 metres ) across.

At the lower end, that would make the asteroid about three-fourths as tall as Nelson 's Column .

A NASA scientist has predicted exactly where the asteroid could strike.

The asteroid is currently heading away from Earth and by April , it will be so far away that it won’t be detectable by Earth -based telescopes.

NASA says it wouldn't be able to use a nuclear bomb to destroy an asteroid.

Instead, it would be best to detonate a nuclear weapon a few hundreds of metres away from the asteroid.

This would trigger an equal and opposite reaction, rebounding the asteroid away from Earth .

However, as it stands, nuclear weapons are not permitted in space.

The Outer Space Treaty forbids nuclear weapons in Earth 's orbit.

VR Score

64

Informative language

56

Neutral language

59

Article tone

semi-formal

Language

English

Language complexity

42

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not offensive

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not hateful

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short-lived

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