In 2004, people saw comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 smacking into Jupiter. It was pretty cool. Now, scientists are even more excited that an asteroid speeding at 8 miles per second is on its way to hit planet Mars. Even though it is predicted that there is only 1 in 75 chances of hitting the Red Planet, this would leave a heck of a dent were it to hit.

It allows scientists to get some good data and images with that they could study better about the planet. Named 2007 WD5, the asteroid is likely to hit Mars by the end of January next year.

These are very hard to see and only very few observations are available to extrapolate its path. There are several orbital paths for the asteroid to travel, which includes the surface of the Mars. So if it hits, it has been predicted, it would get near to the equator, where rover Opportunity is traveling. The scientists have predicted that the collision would not affect the rover, since it will be on the back side of the planet when the asteroid hits the planet or passes by it.

It is relatively easy to predict the date and time the asteroid will be at the planet but it’s hard to predict its actual trajectory. If it hits, it would definitely lead to a new advancement in space exploration.

Source: msnbc155741