2014 AZ5: The Fake Asteroid that Won't Hit Earth

By Nancy Atkinson - March 7, 2013 at 3:20 PM UTC | Planetary Science
asteroid-flying-by-Earth1.jpg

Be careful where you get your news. Some websites have headlines that are screaming "

GIANT ASTEROID HEADING TO EARTH!

" or "

2014 END OF THE WORLD

!" It's been billed as the largest threat to Earth in a millennium, and this supposed nearly 300 meter (1,000 ft.) -wide asteroid is spurring "urgent meetings going on among scientists on how deflect it."

This asteroid can't hit Earth because it doesn't exist. Or at the very least, it doesn't exist

yet

. The first clue this asteroid is a fake is its name: 2014 AZ5. Asteroids are named for the year they are discovered, and since it is only 2013.... well, you see the issue.

Additionally, this asteroid isn't listed on

JPL's Small Body Database

, or the

Minor Planet Center's website

, the official places where

all

known asteroids are listed. As much as some people like to think there are conspiracies and government cover-ups, absolutely every asteroid that's ever been detected is listed on these sites.

There is, actually, another asteroid that will be whizzing by Earth this week at a very safe distance of about 950,000 km. On March 9, Asteroid

2013 ET

, a very large 100 meter-wide rock will make its closest approach. Gianluca Masi from the Virtual Telescope project will host a webcast from the Virtual Telescope robotic facility in Italy on March 8, 2013 at 19:00 UT (2 pm EST).

You can watch for free on their website.

"It is worth to underline that there are NO risks at all of collision," Masi said.

Here's an image of 2013 ET that Masi took on March 4, 2013:

[caption id="attachment_100571" align="aligncenter" width="580"]

Asteroid 2013 ET imaged by the Virtual Telescope. Credit: Gianluca Masi/Virtual Telescope. [/caption]

Hat tip: Ian Musgrave.

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson is a space journalist and author with a passion for telling the stories of people involved in space exploration and astronomy. She is currently retired from daily writing, but worked at Universe Today for 20 years as a writer and editor. She also contributed articles to The Planetary Society, Ad Astra (National Space Society), New Scientist and many other online outlets.

Her 2019 book, "Eight Years to the Moon: The History of the Apollo Missions,” shares the untold stories of engineers and scientists who worked behind the scenes to make the Apollo program so successful, despite the daunting odds against it. Her first book “Incredible Stories From Space: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Missions Changing Our View of the Cosmos” (2016) tells the stories of 37 scientists and engineers that work on several current NASA robotic missions to explore the solar system and beyond.

Nancy is also a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador, and through this program, she has the opportunity to share her passion of space and astronomy with children and adults through presentations and programs. Nancy's personal website is nancyatkinson.com