An old Soviet spaceship sent to study Venus over 50 years ago is now hurtling back towards Earth at 17,000 miles-per-hour, and a new maps has revealed the exact areas at which the 1100lb object is likely to strike once its lands.
While it might not be anywhere near as destructive as asteroid 2024 YR4 which was predicted to have a small chance of hitting Earth with enough power to destroy an entire city earlier this year, the unexpected arrival of an ancient Soviet satellite still holds some danger.
Departing on a mission over half a century ago to conduct analysis of Venus, the Soviet craft named Cosmos 482 (sometimes named Kosmos 482) malfunctioned during its journey and has spend the last 50 years floating around in low Earth orbit.
Advert
It appears that this week could indeed be the time that the Soviet craft finally returns back home though, with scientists indicating that it has the potential to land anywhere between May 8 and May 12, with May 10 being the most likely landing point.
You might begin to feel anxious that a giant 1100lb spacecraft will suddenly come crashing down onto you at staggering speeds, but thankfully experts have indicated that the chances of it actually hitting you are around 1 in 25,000, which is less likely than being struck by lightning.
It's still worth knowing roughly where is at risk though, and thankfully a map has revealed the so-called 'red zone' where Cosmos 482 could potentially land in the next week, as reported by the Sun.
It is expected that the old satellite will fall anywhere between 52 degrees north and 52 degrees south across the entire diameter of Earth, which unfortunately covers quite a large area.
For example, the entirety of Africa, all of the United States, most of South America, and significant parts of Asia are within the current risk corridor, although you will be able to wipe sweat off your brow if you're in northern parts of the world.
Almost all of the United Kingdom is safe according to these predictions, alongside large parts of Scandinavia, Canada, and most of Russia - a worthy trade for being cold most of the year!
One thing that'll certainly ease your worries if you are within the red zone though is the large amount of water that accompanies the land. Approximately 70% of Earth's surface is covered by the ocean, and a large portion of the danger area is thankfully the same.
If it does happen to crash onto land though, scientists have urged people to stay well clear of the debris and resist the urge to touch the crashed spacecraft, as it could hold some harmful fuels and other dangers that make it a risk to interact with.