The NASA has issued an alert on an asteroid of more than 200 meters in diameter that will approach Earth at the end of May. Should we care about our planet?
According to a report published on the website of Page 12experts have expressed concern, warning that the Earth is not prepared to deal with these types of events.
The asteroid, known as 2023 CL3, has been included in the list of near-Earth space objects that should be monitored and studied by NASA. It is expected to pass close to our planet on May 24, at a distance of 7.2 million kilometers and at a considerable speed.
According to analyzes carried out by the US space agency, the size of the asteroid is more than twice that of the Statue of Liberty, which is 93 meters long if the base is included.
Potentially dangerous
The specialists point out that a space rock of this size could cause severe damage in the event of a collision with Earth, classifying it as “potentially hazardous”.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk expressed his concern on Twitter at the time about these scenarios, stating that at some point the Earth will be hit by a large asteroid and that we currently do not have an adequate defense.
Great name! Wouldn’t worry about this particular one, but a big rock will hit Earth eventually & we currently have no defense. https://t.co/XhY8uoNNax
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 18, 2019
For its part, NASA has been investigating defense methods against this type of threat for some time. Last year, they launched a test mission to disrupt the orbit of an asteroid called Dimorphos.
As the approach date of asteroid 2023 CL3 approaches, scientists and astronomers will be attentive to its trajectory and characteristics with the aim of obtaining more information about these celestial bodies and improving prevention measures in the future.
