NASA discovers new asteroid that could potentially hit Earth on Valentine’s Day 2046

A new asteroid named 2023 DW has been discovered by scientists — and there’s a slim chance it might ruin everyone’s loved-up Valentine’s Day dinner plans.

A new asteroid named 2023 DW has been discovered by scientists — and there’s a slim chance it might ruin everyone’s loved-up Valentine’s Day dinner plans. Source: NASA

A new asteroid named 2023 DW has been discovered by scientists — and there’s a slim chance it might ruin everyone’s Valentine’s Day plans.

The asteroid has been added to the European Space Agency‘s Risk List, meaning it poses a risk of impacting Earth,

Currently, it ranks as the No. 1 asteroid on the list due to its potential risk of hitting our planet.

We've been tracking a new asteroid named 2023 DW that has a very small chance of impacting Earth in 2046. Often when new objects are first discovered, it takes several weeks of data to reduce the uncertainties and adequately predict their orbits years into the future. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/SaLC0AUSdP

— NASA Asteroid Watch (@AsteroidWatch) March 7, 2023

However, there is no immediate threat of catastrophic damage as it has a Torino Scale ranking of 1, meaning it poses “no unusual level of danger”.

Scientists estimate that the asteroid has a 50-metre diameter, but there is still uncertainty about its size.

The chance of a collision with Earth is extremely unlikely. The asteroid has a 1 in 607 chance of impacting our planet, and the earliest it could potentially hit is February 14, 2046.

NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office has been tracking the asteroid, offering updates on the giant projectile as they come.

“Often when new objects are first discovered, it takes several weeks of data to reduce the uncertainties and adequately predict their orbits years into the future,” the office tweeted. ”Orbit analysts will continue to monitor asteroid 2023 DW and update predictions as more data comes in.”

As more data comes in, orbit analysts will continue to monitor asteroid 2023 DW and update predictions. Astronomer Piero Sicoli believes there is about a “1 in 400 chance” that the asteroid will have an impact.

He calculated where the asteroid might fall if this possibility occurred, and his calculations show that it could fall anywhere between the Indian Ocean to just off the U.S. East Coast.

“Surely this possibility will soon be ruled out,” he tweeted last week. ”However, as an exercise, I calculated where the asteroid might fall if this possibility occurred.”

#2023DW. With just 3 days of arc, I found about 1 in 400 chance of impact on Feb. 14, 2046 (JPL 1/770). Surely this possibility will soon be ruled out, however, as an exercise, I calculated where the asteroid might fall if this possibility occurred. pic.twitter.com/ldlSYJMvMz

— PS (@Piero_Sicoli) March 2, 2023

Originally published as NASA discovers new asteroid that could potentially hit Earth on Valentine’s Day 2046