Massive piece of space junk dubbed WTF on collision course with Earth
Manmade object designated WT1190F – which could date from Apollo space missions – to strike Earth next month
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A huge piece of space debris – which may date from the Apollo space missions – is on a collision course with Earth.
Scientists warn the manmade junk, officially designated WT1190F but nicknamed WTF, will strike Earth at about 6.15am on November 13.
Much of the hollow object, which may be a spent rocket stage or panelling shed by a recent Moon mission, should burn up in the atmosphere.
But any remnants could dive bomb from the skies – and an international team of astronomers are using it to test emergency plans for dealing with potentially apocalyptic space objects.
WT1190F, which is one to two metres in diameter, is expect to fall in the Indian Ocean about 40 miles off the southern tip of Sri Lanka.
I would not necessarily want to be going fishing directly underneath it.
Independent astronomy software developer Bill Gray, who has been working to track the debris with Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, told journal Nature: “I would not necessarily want to be going fishing directly underneath it.”
Much space junk orbits the Earth, but WT1190F is the first known piece to re-enter the atmosphere.
The disruptive gravity of the Sun and Moon are thought to have kicked it into a highly elliptical orbit, far outside the Moon’s, which has put it on a collision course with Earth.
An asteroid hurtling through space at 78,000mph is set to skim past Earth on Halloween.
A joint US-European is to practice protecting Earth from going the way of the dinosaurs by crashing a spaceship into an asteroid, knock it off course, in a scheme right out of a Hollywood blockbuster.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments