That was indeed a close call, and despite assurances from the astronomer who first spotted it that it was big deal, we can’t help but recall the 1908 even in Siberia, when the effects of what is now believed to have been a meteorite were felt on an area of 830 square miles, knocking down approximately 80 million trees and sending a strong shockwave miles away from the epicenter of the explosion.

 

But Robert McNaught of the Australian National University, who discovered the asteroid last week, told CNN about the recent event:

 

”It’s not something to worry about, but something to be aware of. If discovered in advance and with enough lead time, there is the possibility of pushing it off course, if you have decades of advanced warning. If you have only a few days, you can evacuate the area of impact, but there’s no great deal [else] you can do.”

 

The 2009 DD45 asteroid, which is believed to be between 68 and 152 feet, is approximately the size of the object that hit Earth at the beginning of the century. Initial assessments of the damages back then  estimated that the blast was between 10 and 15 megatons (beating the Hiroshima atomic bomb by 1,000 times), but the latest estimations have situated it somewhere between 3 and 5 megatons.

 

The event that marked the beginning of the 20th century goes to show how vulnerable we are to such hazardous events. Moreover, the chances for another meteorite to reach or dangerously approach Earth’s surface remain real, and scientists are currently working on methods to alter the course of all dangerous objects from outer space threatening our planet.