NASA: Asteroid not a hazard to Earth

PASADENA, Calif., Oct. 7 (UPI) -- NASA scientists say they have recalculated the path of a large asteroid and found a significantly reduced likelihood of an encounter with Earth in 2036.

The space agency said the Apophis asteroid is approximately the size of 2 1/2 football fields.

"Apophis has been one of those celestial bodies that has captured the public's interest since it was discovered in 2004," said NASA scientist Steve Chesley. "Updated computational techniques and newly available data indicate the probability of an Earth encounter on April 13, 2036, for Apophis has dropped from one-in-45,000 to about four-in-a million."

A majority of the data came from observations made by Dave Tholen and collaborators at the University of Hawaii's Institute for Astronomy in Manoa. Tholen made improved measurements of the asteroid's position, enabling him to provide NASA with new data sets more precise than previous measures for Apophis, officials said

Among the findings is another close encounter by the asteroid with Earth in 2068, with chance of impact currently at approximately three-in-a-million.

Chesley and NASA scientist Paul Chodas are to present their updated findings Thursday in Puerto Rico during a meeting of the American Astronomical Society's Division for Planetary Sciences.