An asteroid the size of an Olympic swimming pool has a small chance of barreling into Earth on Valentine’s Day 23 years from now, according to scientists.
The asteroid, named 2023 DW, has a one in 625 chance of slamming into Earth on Feb. 14, 2046, according to the European Space Agency.
The space rock, with a 50-meter diameter, is at the number one spot on the agency’s “Risk List” of space objects that have a greater than zero probability of making impact to Earth.
2023 DW is the only asteroid on the list that scored a 1 on the Torino scale, which is used to categorize the risk of impact to Earth level. All others have 0 ratings.
Level 1 indicates that the chance of collision is “extremely unlikely with no cause for public attention or public concern,” according to the Center for Near Earth Object Studies.
“New telescopic observations very likely will lead to re-assignment to Level 0,” the scale states.
NASA said it has been tracking 2023 DW, stating it 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,” NASA Asteroid Watch tweeted.
Orbit analysts will continue to monitor its movement, the agency added.
If 2023 DW’s risk of impacting Earth increases, NASA has proven it has the technology to protect the planet.
Last year NASA successfully changed the orbit of a small asteroid in order to redirect its trajectory in a mission called DART.
