NASA recently spotted two objects hurling towards Earth, one a comet and the other a UFO.
The American space agency has identified one of the objects as a comet but is yet to classify the other, saying that it could be an asteroid or a comet.
The comet, dubbed C/2016, was determined in October 2016; and the mysterious object, dubbed 2016 WF9, was identified in November 2016.
The strange object is roughly 0.3 to 0.6 miles across and is in an orbit that takes it on a scenic tour of our solar system.
NASA says that the object is either a comet or an asteroid, and poses minimal threat to earth if any at all.
A Comet
A comet is an icy small Solar System body that, when passing close to the Sun, warms and begins to evolve gasses, a process called outgassing. This produces a visible atmosphere or coma, and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena are due to the effects of solar radiation and the solar wind acting upon the nucleus of the comet. – Wiki
An Asteroid
Asteroids are minor planets, especially those of the inner Solar System. The larger ones have also been called planetoids. These terms have historically been applied to any astronomical object orbiting the Sun that did not show the disc of a planet and was not observed to have the characteristics of an active comet. As minor planets in the outer Solar System were discovered and found to have volatile-based surfaces that resemble those of comets, they were often distinguished from asteroids of the asteroid belt.[1] In this article, the term “asteroid” refers to the minor planets of the inner Solar System including those co-orbital with Jupiter. – Wiki
The American space agency has often been caught lying to the public about what is actually going on in space, so the question still remains, exactly what is heading towards Earth? What say you reader?
Separate Warning
A NASA scientist also recently warned that the Earth is ‘woefully’ unprepared for a surprise asteroid or comet.
“The biggest problem, basically, is there’s not a hell of a lot we can do about it at the moment,” said Dr Joseph Nuth, a researcher with Nasa’s Goddard Space Flight Center.
Nuth also stated, at the annual meeting of American Geophysical Union, that dangerous asteroids or comets are extremely rare, “But on the other hand they are the extinction-level events, things like dinosaur killers, they’re 50 to 60 million years apart, essentially. You could say, of course, we’re due, but it’s a random course at that point.”
Nuth alongside other NASA scientists suggests the US build an interceptor rocket because often it can take up to five years to launch a spacecraft.
“If you look at the schedule for high-reliability spacecraft and launching them, it takes five years to launch a spacecraft. We had 22 months of total warning.”
NASA recently established a planetary defense office, and Nuth has recommended that the agency build an interceptor rocket to keep in storage, with periodic testing, alongside an observer spacecraft. The establishment of an interceptor rocket would cut the timing of actually launching a rocket in half.
Works Cited
Stuff. “Nasa spots comet and mysterious celestial object flying towards Earth .” Stuff.co.nz. . (2016): . .
Alan Yuhas. “ Earth woefully unprepared for surprise comet or asteroid, Nasa scientist warns .” The Guardian. . (2016): . .
