An asteroid in space may strike Earth and destroy it by March 16, 2880, The Nation reported on Sunday.
There is a one-in-300 chance it will hit Earth, but those are big enough odds for scientists to be worried and take action, The Mirror reported. If it does, it would cause huge tsunamis and massive earthquakes. Human life would be eradicated due to the planet's drastic climate change.
Researchers studying the rock found that its body rotates so quickly that it should break into pieces, but somehow, it remains whole and on a path to Earth. They think it's being held together by cohesive forces known as van der waals. Discovering the object is considered a major breakthrough, but scientists don't know how to stop it.
The discovery was made by researchers at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. The asteroid, named 1950 DA, is approximately 3,280 feet in diameter, but rotates once every two hours and soars through space at nine miles per second.
If an astronaut attempted to stand on 1950 DA's surface, they would be flung into outer space. The presence of cohesive forces has thought to have existed in smaller asteroids, but concrete evidence has never been seen before. Findings published in this week's edition of the science journal Nature have possible strategies for protecting the planet from a massive asteroid impact.
Ben Rozitis, a postdoctoral researcher, said the February 2013 asteroid impact in Chelyabinsk, Russia renewed scientists' interest in figuring out how to deal with the potential destruction, according to The Mirror. Strategies to break the asteroid apart are being devised.
"Understanding what holds these asteroids together can inform strategies to guard against future impacts," said Rozitis.
