LONDON (Reuters) - A massive asteroid could hit Earth in just 17 years' time, destroying life as we know it, a British space expert said Wednesday.

The asteroid -- the most threatening object ever detected in space -- is 1.2 miles wide and apparently on a direct collision course with Earth.

"Objects of this size only hit the Earth every one or two million years," said Dr. Benny Peiser, an asteroid expert at Liverpool John Moore's University in northern England.

"In the worst case scenario, a disaster of this size would be global in its extent, would create a meltdown of our economic and social life, and would reduce us to dark age conditions," he told Reuters.

But Peiser and other space experts say they are pretty confident this nightmare scenario will not come about.

"This thing is the highest threat that has been cataloged, but the scale in terms of the threat keeps changing," said Peter Bond, spokesman for the Royal Astronomical Society.

"If it did hit the Earth it would cause a continental-size explosion ... but it is a fairly remote possibility."

The asteroid -- named 2002 NT7 -- was first detected earlier this month by the United States Linear sky survey program.

Since then, Peiser said scientists at the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA ( news - web sites)) near-Earth objects team and at Pisa University in Italy have carried out orbit calculations to work out the probability and potential date of impact to define the risk it poses.

Their calculations show it could hit the earth on February 1, 2019.

"The impact probability is below one in a million, but because the first impact date is so early -- only 17 years from now -- and the object is very large, it's been rated on the impact risk Palermo Scale as a positive," Peiser said. "It is the first object which has ever hit a positive rating."

Scientists warn, however, that the risk rating has not been reviewed by the International Astronomical Union, which is the main international body responsible for announcing such risks.

Peiser said 2002 NT7 would continue to be monitored by space experts across the world, and that over time, these observations would probably erase the threat posed by it.

"In all likelihood, in a couple of months additional observations will eliminate this object from the list of potential impacts," he said. "I am very confident that additional observations over time will...show that it is actually not on a collision course with Earth."

But he warned that the world should take this as wake-up call and set about preparing for the reality of an asteroid hit in the future.

"Sooner or later -- and no one can really tell us which it will be -- we will find an object that is on a collision course. That is as certain as "Amen" in church. And eventually we will have to deflect an object from its collision course," he said.

At the moment, he added, scientists fear it could take at least 30 years for the world to be able to devise and set up a mission to deal with such a threat -- a timescale which would be woefully inadequate if the 2019 strike were to happen.




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For all you believers that the world will end in our lifetime this is something to think about. Nobody and I mean nobody is able to predict the end of time. I believe in a higher being and he is the only person I believe who can predict when the earth will end.

" December 21st, 2012 " Why this day? What happens on this Day? What is the big deal? I will try to attempt to explain this also.


It is like a large check mark on the calendar, a pointer aimed at 13.0.0.0.0, the "End Date" of the Mayan Long Count Calendar. From the Mayan point of view, this is the "End of Days." It is so significant that the calendar just comes to a stop. It is like having an alarm set when it's time to take your medicine. This date is also December 21, 2012, the day of the Winter Solstice. But what is this check mark trying to tell us. What medicine are we suppose to remember to take?
The Mayan calendar was started in 3113 BC. But, most of the documents that could tell us what this calendar was for were destroyed long ago. In Mesoamerica, South America and on Easter Island, zealot priests destroyed almost all the written documents. Before that the library at Alexandria in Egypt was distorted by fire, several times. Almost all ancient history books in China were destroyed on the order of a dying emperor. Someone does not seem to want us to know where we come from or where we are going.

Yet not all was lost. Writings on stone, lost to the world when the past was being destroyed, have since been found. In Mesopotamia were found thousands of clay tablets. On these tablets is the description of a society in which the government, economy and religion was controlled by one organization. This organization is a family of fallen gods . In Mesoamerica, the writings are on the temples, altars and other stone structures. Even better, in Mesoamerica, there still live the descendants of these ancient people. There are those that still follow the ancient ways.

So here we are. Someone put this big check mark on the calendar. If there was a note telling us what the mark is for, it was destroyed with most of the history of the ancient world. So what is one to do? Look for clues.

Just suppose a conjunction as the key to the December 21, 2012 "End Date." This conjunction is the location of the sun at the time of the winter solstice with respect to the cross formed by the galactic equator and the ecliptic. This crossing point has meaning in the Mayan tradition. The claim is that this will be the closest the solstice occurs to this Cross for many years.

Any claim such as this deserves to be verified. To this end, I went looking for the times of the solstices. An on-line almanac gave solstices for the years 2000 and 2001. Using Red Shift 4 the distance from the sun, at the time of the solstice, to the cross was measured. This first pass, done too quickly, seemed to show the distance diminishing between these two years. Encouraged, a new search was launched for more data on the winter solstice.

The check mark is on the calendar and we are asked to look for "Signs in the Sky." So, what does the sky look like on December 21 2012?

Before the what can be answered the where must be found. When I was first starting the research on this "End of Days" my astronomy program was Red Shift 4. By default, Red Shift was set to show the sky at my residence. So my first look at the sky on this wondrous morning was from The City of the Sacrament.

At the solstice, Saturn is just above the horizon. By five thirty Venus is on the horizon and the Sun is on the cross. Although the exact center of the Sun is not on the exact point of crossing of the galactic equator and the ecliptic, this intersection is behind the disk if the Sun. To the left of the Sun is the Trifid Nebula and the Lagoon Nebula is below. I wonder if the people that live there call it that. The Sun, Venus and the Cross are strong Mayan symbology. As the morning progresses the sky begins to lighten Venus fades. The Maya used this heliacal rising to keep track of the Venus cycles.


Enclosed are some images of the sky on December 21st, 2012.

If human are always afraid of Asteroid thread why don't they build outer layers potection for earth .We can build lazers beam or any strong and powerful energy outside our belove earth.Before these asteroid hit us.Shoot them down or try to break them down into smaller pieces.So that if it really hit the earth will not be very great destruction.

I still waiting to see human landed on Sun to find before my last day living in this world.Because as for sceptics believe that when human die .I am vanish.Noone can see me no more.No reincarnation.Maybe Sceptics are right.