Asteroids and comets are always fascinating objects for amateur and professional astronomers. But will such a celestial body wipe us out in April?

The English website “Express” warns of an impending asteroid impact in April

However, there is no warning from NASA at all; the asteroid has been known for a long time.
It will pass the Earth at a completely safe distance of 6.2 million kilometers.

We received several inquiries about an article from the English tabloid site “ Express ”, which appears to be widely shared and causes uncertainty:
Apparently a 4 kilometer large asteroid is on its way to Earth.

Asteroid warning, source: Express.co.uk
Asteroid warning, source: Express.co.uk

The article first stirs up the fear a little more by describing what the impact of such a large celestial body can trigger - earthquakes and tsunamis far beyond the impact area -, accompanies the descriptions with appropriate pictures and then finally comes when everyone has already are trembling, to the core of the article.

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Is panic necessary? No!

As the “Express” itself writes, NASA estimates that the celestial object called “ 1998 OR2 ” has a diameter of between 1.5 kilometers and 4.1 kilometers.
Do you notice anything? “Express” didn’t take an average value, but rather stated the largest assumed diameter in the headline so that it would appear more dramatic. That's why we should take another look at the heading in German:

“Asteroid Alert: NASA Tracks 4KM Asteroid Approaching – Could End Civilization If It Impacts”

Could. COULD. COULD!
True. If such an asteroid actually hits, preferably in a densely populated area, could be quite unpleasant for human civilization, although complete extinction would only be the worst possible consequence.

He could only do so if he at least came dangerously close to the earth. But he doesn't!

Asteroid that has been known for a long time

Now the asteroid didn't just appear, but has been since 1998 . At the time, it was also classified as a “potentially dangerous object” because it regularly passes near Earth's orbit, like over 100 other objects. However, NASA also said that the asteroid not come dangerously close to Earth, at least in the next few decades.

There is no warning from NASA!

Only the “Express” warns about this asteroid, and for absolutely no reason, as “ Asteroid Watch ”, an official NASA account, makes clear:

In German:

“On April 29, asteroid 1998 OR2 will pass Earth at a safe distance of 3.9 million miles/6.2 million kilometers.
An article in the Express implying that there is a “warning” about this asteroid is false.”

To better imagine it: The asteroid will pass the Earth at a distance that is more than 16x the distance between Earth and the Moon.

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Conclusion

With the alarmist headline and dramatic images, “Express” is pure clickbait; Only at the very end is it revealed that the asteroid will pass so far from Earth that a warning would not be necessary at all - in principle, they are debunking their own headline.

However, panicked users won't even read until they get to the small section: the headline and the threatening images in the article are enough to create fear.

Article image: Shutterstock / By Vadim Sadovski

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Notes:
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