
The space agency reports that internet rumors of a giant meteorite hurtling toward Earth were completely unfounded and baseless.
You may have read recently that the planet is due to collide with a massive doomsday asteroid sometime in September, but NASA assures us that the chances of such an event are highly unlikely. According to a report from Immortal News, the agency issued a statement easing fears that stemmed from a recent meeting of scientists who spoke about the subject of asteroid awareness.
A surprising number of blogs and websites made posts recently about a deadly impact with a giant asteroid somewhere near in the Caribbean this September, which would generate shockwaves throughout the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts and deep into Central and South America.
According to Paul Chodas, the head of the Near-Earth Object division at NASA, the rumors circulating on the internet were similar to asteroids in space themselves. He said that rumors about an asteroid collision sometime this coming fall had “no scientific basis,” not even “one shred of evidence.”
As a matter of fact, NASA researchers have calculated that the likelihood of an asteroid slamming into the Earth over the next 100 years are roughly one hundredth of a percent. To further calm pubic fears, astronomer Phil Plait told Slate in 2014 that the odds of a person dying from an asteroid impact were one in 700,000.
In fact, people are more likely to be struck by lightening or to find a pearl in an oyster than to be killed by an asteroid. It’s easy to believe shocking stories on the internet, but take it from NASA – they have the telescopes to back it up.
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