Asteroid kommer ödelägga Jorden år 2106

Two weeks ago Russian astronomers Andrey Oreshko and Timur Kryachko discovered yet another asteroid, with the catchy name of 2012 YQ1, which will, in all likelihood, crash into Earth, but not until 2106.

According to Mr Kryachko, if the asteroid's course is not altered by a random collision with another celestial body or similarly unpredictable circumstance, in January 2106 the asteroid will pass through a gravitational keyhole bringing it as close as one and a half moon-distances to Earth, near enough for earth's gravity to change the asteroid's course and draw it even closer.

Ultimately, YQ1 will hit Earth so hard that a global catastrophe will be unavoidable. The scientists estimate that the impact would equate to the energy released by approximately 25000 atomic bombs all going off at once. That puts YQ1 on par with the infamous Apophis which measures 270 meters in diameter and had been thought likely to strike Earth in 2036. According to NASA's 'virtual impactors' directory, YQ1 is 17th of the most dangerous asteroids ever discovered.