Although there is still a 1 percent chance of a level 4 asteroid hitting Earth, the general public is now told not to worry when NASA’s Near Earth Object Program Office issues a warning.
“It’s a good thing that astronomers keep track of these low-scale events, but there is no need for public concern,” said Binzel.
Like the Department of Homeland Security’s terror alert system, the Torino scale uses five different colors that correspond to the severity of a potential impact. The colors haven’t changed from the old system, but the explanation of what each color means has. Asteroids in the green section used to be deemed “events meriting careful monitoring,” but now are considered “normal.” And a level 6 object was described as capable of causing “global catastrophe.” Now these, too, only merit the concern of astronomers.
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