Next to an end, it seems, is assigned to 2040, when the Earth is supposed to bump asteroid 2011 AG5. However, recently, a team of astronomers from the University of Hawaii, with the help of telescope "Gemini-North" on the volcano Mauna Kea (Hawaii) has calculated that the probability of such a collision is negligible. Earlier this risk was estimated as 1 in 500.

More than 98 percent of all the asteroids in the Solar system are concentrated in the main asteroid belt located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, as well as in the Kuiper belt and theoretically existing Oort cloud. Occasionally some of the asteroids in the clashes with neighbors or under the influence of gravity on the part of larger objects descend from their orbits and sometimes go to the Land.

Scientists believe the potentially dangerous objects (PDO) all the asteroids that may approach the Earth at a distance of less than or equal to 0.05 astronomical units, and the absolute magnitude of which does not exceed 22. On average albedo, equal to 0.13, the diameter of this asteroid should be about 150 meters.

Asteroids closer to Earth quite often. Closer for the history of astronomical observations came to our planet small (about six feet in diameter asteroid 2004 FU162. March 31, 2004 he will approach the Earth at a distance of about 6535 kilometers.

Asteroid danger most often calculated according to the so-called the Torino scale, which VET depending on their orbit, mass and speed is assigned a certain number of points from zero to ten. This body, which in Torino scale is assigned to score zero points, have no chance to come into contact with the Ground, and have a rating of ten points should call planetary catastrophe.

Judging by the large number of craters, obviously having impact origin, the Earth had to survive a collision with large space objects. Although human memory this did not happen: even the famous Tunguska meteorite - space standards, just a speck of dust, hardly touched our planet. And he, when all the power of the explosion, no major disasters are not caused.

The above asteroid 2011 AG5 was opened on January 8, 2011 within the framework of astronomical project Catalina", the Toolkit which is located on mount mount Lemmon Arizona (USA). The parameters of the cosmic body is seriously concerned scientists: it is estimated that if this object, the diameter of which is equal to 140 meters, and weight - about 3.9 million tons would be facing our planet, it has allocated about 100 megatons of energy, which is several thousand times more power than the atomic bombs exploded at the end of the Second world war.

According to the results of observations, in February of last year 2011 AG5 was assigned one point potential danger in Torino scale. on 26 February 2011 asteroid passed at a minimum distance from earth to the distance between them was only 0,09562 astronomical units. Bring it closer to our planet at a distance of less than one average radius of the Earth (6371 km), which are considered potentially dangerous, expected in 2036-m, 2040-m, 2045-m, 2046-m, 2051-m, 2052-m and 2057-th years. Closest to the Earth 2011 AG5 fit in 2040 - spaced 1975 kilometers. But far greater danger on the Palermo scale is a visit 2052 year, when the distance between the earth and the asteroid will be 4013 kilometers, experts say.

Although, according to statistics, the body of this size hit the Ground no more than once in ten thousand years, it caused a serious panic. Especially disturbs the public passing asteroid near the Ground in 2040. After nine months of observations Donald Yeomans, head of the program on monitoring of near-earth objects at the jet propulsion Laboratory of NASA announced that the probability of collision with the Earth in the mentioned year is 1 : 625. It is not so little to stop worrying.

This year the researchers decided to recheck the data. According to one of the members of a research group Richard Wainscot, to supervise through multipurpose spectrograph was very difficult, as the body looks very dull. It was seen in the sky 20, 21 and 27 October.

Also, two weeks before it could get an image object using the 2.2-meter telescope owned Hawaii University. From the latest data shows that the uncertainty of the orbit of the asteroid fell 60 times. And with it fell, and the probability of collision.

Management believes the jet propulsion Laboratory of NASA, should be reduced and the excitement around the next "asteroid-assassins". But, of course, the attention of the public will switch to the new "threats from space"and will show up as more and more date of the coming Apocalypse.