The asteroid called 1999 RQ36, discovered in 1999, could hit Earth, and the calculations correspond to a potential impact in 2182. If an asteroid this size hit Earth it could cause major disasters. Maria Eugenia Sansaturio researcher and scientists at the University of Valladolid, Spain, were used by two different mathematical models to calculate the risk of Earth being hit by an asteroid until 2200, informs Daily Mail. And they were shocked by this revelation saying that "the total impact probability of the asteroid (101955) 1999 RQ36 can be estimated, but what is most surprising is that over half of this opportunity (0.00054) corresponds to the year 2182." Even if the asteroid's orbit is well known thanks to over 290 different observations and radar measurements of 13, there is uncertainty about its course, because so-called Yarkovsky effect. This effect, discovered in 2003, is produced by an asteroid, which constantly absorbs energy from the sun and re-radiate this energy into space as heat. This can lead to subtle changes in flight trajectory of the asteroid.

ziare.com