1997 XR2
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- The title of this article is incorrect because of technical limitations. The correct title is 1997 XR2.
1997 XR2 (also written 1997 XR2) is an asteroid discovered in 1997. It has a diameter of 0.23 km and an estimated mass of 1.7 × 1010 kilograms.
As of April 2004, it is considered to have the seventh highest (though still very low) likelihood of any near-Earth object to impact Earth in the next 100 years. It is ranked a one on the Torino scale of impact risk, and was the only NEO to be ranked higher than zero (the scale is 0–10) until it was joined by 2004 VD17 at level one in November 2004, and then when 2004 MN4 was temporarily assessed at level four in December 2004.
Based on 144 observations of 1997 XR2 made in December of 1997, there is about a 1 in 10,000 chance that it will collide with Earth on June 1, 2101. If that happens, the energy released by the impact would be an estimated 360 megatons.
The six asteroids of higher risk are 2000 SG344, 2000 LG6, 2000 SB45, 1994 WR12, 2001 GP2, and 2004 MN4. The earth is over 30 times more likely to be impacted by one of these asteroids than by 1997 XR2.
References
- NASA Near Earth Object Program. "Current Impact Risks" (3 Apr. 2004). http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/risk/ (accessed 3 Apr. 2004).
- Ibid. "1997 XR2 Earth Impact Risk Summary" (29 May 2002). http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/risk/1997xr2.html (accessed 3 Apr. 2004).zh:1997 XR2