Do not worry about the 2006QV89 asteroid. There is only 1 chance in 7000 that it hits the Earth in September

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Whenever scientists announce an upcoming close encounter with an asteroid, some corners of the internet illuminate, such as the synaptic rush that accompanies excessive methamphetamine use. But whatever. We are not this corner of the Internet. We are sober, yo!

The fact is that there are not more asteroids close to the Earth than there were before. We are just beginning to detect them.

The latest one is called 2006QV89 (it will be called QV) and it's a piece of rock the size of a football field. But do not be frightened, it is actually only 40 meters in diameter (48.5 meters wide and 109 meters long). Some panic (or do not care, but want you to panic for clicks). Part of the problem is that ESA has put it on its risk list, which seems worrying.

There are tons of asteroids and comets. Imagine seeing this one fall on us. Artist view of comet dead 2015 TB145, also known as
There are tons of asteroids and comets. Imagine seeing this one fall on us. View of the artist on the comet dead 2015 TB145, known as the "comet of death" because of its appearance. Credit: José Antonio Peñas / SINC

The whole list of risks actually means that the rock has a non-zero chance of reaching the Earth. This does not mean that it is really big, or that it would threaten civilization if it came up against us. It simply means that they have become aware of it and are observing it with one of the Earth's many telescopes capable of monitoring it. No plans to fly into space and blow it up.

According to ESA, QV has a 1 in 7,299 chance of hitting the Earth. It is far from the threshold of 1 in 100 which would mean that we must act. In fact, here is how insignificant this asteroid is: there are more than 850 other asteroids on the risk list, and some of them are nearly one kilometer in diameter. (The Chicxulub dinosaur killer had a diameter between 11 km and 81 km.)

Can not write an article about an asteroid without an image of the Big Daddy of all the asteroids. Here is an artistic rendition of the Chicxulub impactor striking the ancient Earth, observed by Pterosaur. Credit: NASA
Can not write an article about asteroids without an image of the Big Daddy of all the asteroids. Here is an artistic interpretation of the Chicxulub impactor striking the ancient Earth, observed by Pterosaur. Credit: NASA

QV is also located more than 6.7 million km from Earth and will not be at its closest approach until September, according to ESA. You have plenty of time to dig a big hole in your yard and fill it with rifles, ammunition and food.

Seriously, there is nothing to worry about. NASA, ESA and other countries with intelligent space technology continuously monitor the skies and list all objects near the Earth (NEO), in case one of them would come to us. We continue to hear from them because we are very good at identifying them. Finally, we will stop reporting each one. But the risk of doing so is that some other dark corners of the internet will scream conspiracy. "What is NASA hiding us?!?" And all that.

It's a little cluttered in the space, but there's nothing to worry about. This graph shows the asteroids and comets observed by the NEOWISE mission (NASDA). Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / UCLA / JHU
It's a little crowded in space, but there is nothing to worry about. This graph shows the asteroids and comets observed by the NEOWISE mission (NASDA). Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / UCLA / JHU

If you are still worried or if you know someone who is, keep something in mind. Of course, ESA keeps a list of asteroid hazards and it has more than 850 asteroids on this list, including the upcoming 2006 Loss of Knowledge Questionnaire, which will soon be forgotten. But they also have another list.

This other object is the priority list. It is essentially a list that classifies objects that need tracking. The priority list itself has four sub-categories: low priority, useful, necessary and top priority, urgent.

Urgent Priority Tracking An asteroid approaches the Earth!

If you ever see this title, you can panic.

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