An asteroid the size of a skyscraper will pass close to Earth today, with its closest approach expected on Friday.
NASA estimates that the asteroid won't be back our way again until 2032 - Friday is when it will be closest to Earth.
On its expected return in 2032 it will be much further away, staying some 45 million miles away from us.
The hulk of space rock is estimated to be between 210 metres and 480 metres across, similar in size to New York City's Empire State Building or London's The Shard.
An asteroid the size of a skyscraper will pass close to Earth today, with its closest approach expected on Friday. The hulk of space rock is estimated to be between 210 metres and 480 metres across, similar in size to New York City's Empire State Building or London's The Shard. NASA estimates that the asteroid won’t be back our way again until 2032 - Friday is when it will be closest to Earth. On its expected return in 2032 it will be much further away, staying some 45 million miles away from us.
This week there are several encounters with asteroids of various sizes. Three smaller asteroids will also harmlessly buzz the Earth on Friday, no more than tens of metres across, and another two on Saturday. On Sunday an asteroid roughly half the size of Friday's main event will swing by, staying 4.5 million miles away.
The space agency’s Centre for Near Earth Object Studies estimates that this week there are several encounters with asteroids of various sizes. Three smaller asteroids will also harmlessly buzz the Earth on Friday, no more than tens of metres across and another two on Saturday. On Sunday an asteroid roughly half the size of Friday's main event will swing by, staying 4.5 million miles away.
The space rock is classified as a potentially hazardous object (PHO) but there’s no chance it will hit Earth since it will miss our planet by seven times the distance from the Earth to the moon.
An asteroid the size of a skyscraper will pass close to Earth today
. The hulk of space rock is expected to soar within 1.7 million miles of our planet, but there's no chance of it hitting us, NASA says.
. Discovered in 2008, the asteroid won't be back our way again until 2032 - Friday is when it’s expected to be closest to the Earth.
Accuracy
There is no chance of it hitting us since it will miss our planet by seven times the distance from the Earth to the moon.
Discovered in 2008, the asteroid won't be back our way again until 2032 - Friday is when it’s expected to be closest to the Earth.
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the title of the article suggests that Asteroid 2008 OS7 poses a significant threat to Earth when it passes by on Friday. However, NASA has already stated that there is no immediate danger and they are only monitoring its potential danger. Secondly, the author uses sensationalist language such as
The article states that Asteroid 2008 OS7 will pass by Earth around 9:41 a.m EST on Friday.
The article claims that NASA has taken the threat of an asteroid coming into contact with Earth more seriously in recent years, but it fails to provide any evidence or examples of this.
Fallacies
(70%)
The article contains several logical fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by stating that NASA is monitoring the asteroid for potential danger without providing any evidence or context about why this is necessary. Additionally, the author makes a false dilemma by presenting only two options: either see Asteroid 2008 OS7 pass Earth or not see it at all. The article also contains inflammatory rhetoric when describing the asteroid as
Bias
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
Arianna Johnson has a conflict of interest on the topic of asteroids as she is an author for Forbes which is owned by Universal Images Group via Getty Images. Additionally, NASA and Jet Propulsion Laboratory are mentioned in the article but there is no indication if they have any financial ties or personal relationships with Arianna Johnson.
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The author has a conflict of interest on the topic of asteroids as they are reporting for Forbes which is owned by Universal Images Group via Getty Images. The article also mentions Virtual Telescope Project which may have an affiliation with NASA.
A giant city killer asteroid will safely shoot past Earth today traveling at 41,000 mph.
Its closest approach to Earth will be 1.77 million miles, over seven times the distance to the moon.
The speedy space rock is expected to be zipping along at about 41,000 mph and measures roughly 890 feet across, or roughly the size of a US football stadium.
Accuracy
A football stadium-sized asteroid will safely shoot past Earth today traveling at 41,000 mph.
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the title and body of the article use sensationalist language such as 'city killer' to create a sense of urgency and danger when there is no immediate threat posed by this asteroid. Secondly, the author quotes an expert who states that Asteroid 2008 OS7 will be too small and far away to see without a telescope, but then goes on to say that viewers can watch the livestream of it passing Earth. This is a lie by omission as there is no mention of any limitations or conditions for viewing the asteroid in the article. Thirdly, while NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has identified potentially hazardous asteroids and is working on a mission to expand their search, this specific article does not provide any information about these efforts.
There is no mention of any limitations or conditions for viewing the asteroid in the article.
The author quotes an expert who states that Asteroid 2008 OS7 will be too small and far away to see without a telescope, but then goes on to say that viewers can watch the livestream of it passing Earth.
The title of the article uses sensationalist language such as 'city killer'
Fallacies
(70%)
The article contains an appeal to authority fallacy by stating that NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has spotted the asteroid and is working on a mission to detect near-earth objects. The author also uses inflammatory rhetoric when describing the potential danger of the asteroid, but does not provide any evidence or statistics to support this claim.
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has spotted the asteroid
The website Space Reference estimates that upon its next close approach, in July 2037, it will be about 9.7 million miles from Earth.
Bias
(85%)
The article contains language that dehumanizes the asteroid by referring to it as a 'city killer'. The author also uses sensationalist language such as 'potentially hazardous' and emphasizing the size of the asteroid. Additionally, there is an emphasis on how close the asteroid will come to Earth which could be seen as fear-mongering.
The article refers to Asteroid 2008 OS7 as a 'city killer'
The author uses sensationalist language such as 'potentially hazardous' and emphasizes the size of the asteroid
There is an emphasis on how close the asteroid will come to Earth
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (0%)
Ellyn Lapointe has a conflict of interest on the topic of asteroids as she is an author for Business Insider which is owned by Axel Springer AG. The company also owns Virtual Telescope Project and David Madison/Getty Images who are mentioned in the article.
Ellyn Lapointe has a conflict of interest on the topic of asteroids as she is an author for Business Insider which is owned by Axel Springer AG. The company also owns Virtual Telescope Project and David Madison/Getty Images who are mentioned in the article.
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (0%)
The author has a conflict of interest on the topic of potentially hazardous asteroids as they are reporting for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
An asteroid as big as a skyscraper will pass within 1.7m miles of Earth on Friday.
Nasa's Center for Near Earth Object Studies estimates that space rock is between 690 and 1,575 feet (210 and 480 meters) across. That means it could be similar in size to New York City's Empire State Building or Chicago's Willis Tower.
Three smaller asteroids also will harmlessly buzz the Earth on Friday.
Accuracy
There is no chance of it hitting us since it will miss our planet by seven times the distance from the Earth to the moon.
Deception
(0%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author states that there's no chance of the asteroid hitting Earth since it will miss our planet by seven times the distance from Earth to the moon. However, this statement is misleading as it implies that an impact with such a large object would be catastrophic and impossible to survive when in fact, even if hit at high speeds, humans could potentially survive.
The author states 'Nasa's Center for Near Earth Object Studies estimates the space rock is between 690 and 1575 feet (210 and 480 meters) across.' This statement implies that the asteroid is much smaller than it actually is, as it could be similar in size to New York City's Empire State Building or Chicago's Willis Tower.
The author states 'there's no chance of it hitting us since it will miss our planet by seven times the distance from Earth to the moon.' This statement is misleading as it implies that an impact with such a large object would be catastrophic and impossible to survive when in fact, even if hit at high speeds, humans could potentially survive.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several fallacies. Firstly, the author uses an appeal to authority by stating that NASA's Center for Near Earth Object Studies estimates the size of the asteroid. However, this does not necessarily mean that their estimate is accurate or reliable. Secondly, there are two instances where inflammatory rhetoric is used: 'Don't worry: there’s no chance of it hitting us since it will miss our planet by seven times the distance from the Earth to the moon.' and 'Three much smaller asteroids also will harmlessly buzz the Earth on Friday, no more than tens of yards across'. These statements are meant to reassure readers but they could be seen as exaggerating or sensationalizing. Lastly, there is a dichotomous depiction of the size of the asteroid in comparison to buildings and cities which can be misleading.
An appeal to authority: 'Nasa's Center for Near Earth Object Studies estimates the space rock is between 690 and 1,575 feet (210 and 480 meters) across.'
Inflammatory rhetoric: 'Don’t worry: there’s no chance of it hitting us since it will miss our planet by seven times the distance from the Earth to the moon.'
Dichotomous depiction: 'The asteroid could be similar in size to New York City's Empire State Building or Chicago's Willis Tower.'
