This asteroid, designated as 2023 DW, was first observed by the European Space Agency on February 26, 2023. It has been included in the agency’s Risk List, which contains a register of celestial bodies that could potentially impact Earth. Due to the early data collected, 2023 DW is currently ranked as the most hazardous asteroid on the list.
The 2023 DW has been assigned a Torino Scale ranking of 1, which indicates that it poses no significant danger at present, according to the scale. The asteroid is estimated to have a diameter of around 50 meters, although the size uncertainty may be substantial.
The Risk List contains 1,448 asteroids, all of which have a scale ranking of 0, apart from 2023 DW. The current calculation indicates that the asteroid has a negligible likelihood of impacting Earth, with a 1 in 607 chance, according to the European Space Agency.
The asteroid is not projected to approach Earth for at least two decades, and its earliest potential impact date is Valentine‘s Day 2046, according to the ESA. The Risk List also indicates that there is a risk of impact on subsequent Valentine’s Days between 2047 and 2051.
The Planetary Defense Coordination Office at NASA reports that it is keeping a close eye on the asteroid and that the risk of it impacting Earth in 2046 is still “very low.”
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