The asteroid traveling at 59,000 mph could soon hit the ground, warns the ESA

The European Space Agency (ESA) warned that the Earth would have a chance of being hit by an asteroid in three years. The asteroid in approach was on the list of risks of the space agency.

The ESA Hazard List lists objects near the Earth that may affect the planet in the future. One of the asteroids included in the list is 2009 JF1.

According to the ESA database, the asteroid has a diameter of about 52 feet and is currently traveling at a speed of 100,000 km / h, which is three times faster than the orbital speed of the Space Shuttle.

The asteroid is expected to approach Earth on May 6, 2022 and will be within 0.08601 astronomical unit or about 7.9 million miles from the center of the planet. Although 2009 JF1 only flies on Earth, ESA admitted that the asteroid still had a chance to crash on the planet.

As indicated in the agency's risk list, the probabilities that JF1 in 2009 is impacting the Earth are one in 4000. The chances of JF1 in 2009 are greater than those of QV89 in 2006, another asteroid included in the ESA risk list.

The space agency said the chances of this asteroid touching Earth are 1 in 7,000. ESA predicted that the 2006 QV89 could hit Earth in September.

According to various scientific studies conducted on space objects, a number of factors can affect the trajectories of asteroids. One of them is the gravitational keyhole.

Gravitational keyholes are specific areas in the space that are affected by the gravitational pull of a large object nearby. Scientists believe that if an object near the Earth passes through a keyhole, the gravitational attraction could significantly change the course, resulting in a possible collision.

Another possible factor that can alter the path of an asteroid if it hits another object as it moves through space.

In the case of JF1 2009, the ESA probably provides various scenarios in which the asteroid will change course to Earth. Since the asteroid is not so big, it should burn once in Earth's atmosphere and break into tiny fragments before touching the surface.

An illustration shows an asteroid impacting Earth in circumstances similar to the asteroid strike that killed the dinosaurs and plunged the world into darkness. Photo: NASA / NCAR