Risk of ‘city-killing’ asteroid striking Earth higher than thought, experts warn

The chance of a city-killing asteroid striking Earth is higher than scientists previously believed, a non-profit group building an asteroid-hunting telescope said on Tuesday.

A global network that listens for nuclear weapons detonations detected 26 asteroids that exploded in Earth’s atmosphere from 2000 to last year, data collected by the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organisation shows.

The explosions include the February 15, 2013, impact over Chelyabinsk, Russia, which left more than 1,000 people injured by flying glass and debris.

“There is a popular misconception that asteroid impacts are extraordinarily rare ... that’s incorrect,” said former astronaut Ed Lu, who now heads the California-based B612 Foundation.

The foundation on Tuesday released a video visualisation of the asteroid strikes in an attempt to raise public awareness of the threat.

Asteroids as small as about 40 metres have the potential to level a city, Lu told reporters on a conference call