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The Torino Scale is a method for categorizing the impact hazard associated with near-Earth objects (NEOs) such as asteroids and comets. It is intended as a tool for astronomers and the public to assess the seriousness of collision predictions, by combining probability statistics and known kinetic damage potentials into a single threat value. The Palermo Technical Impact Hazard Scale is a similar, but more complex scale. Near-Earth objects (NEO) are asteroids, comets and large meteoroids whose orbit intersects Earths orbit and which may therefore pose a collision danger. ...
Asteroid, minor planet, and planetoid are synonyms, and are used to indicate a diverse group of small celestial bodies that drift in the solar system in orbit around the Sun. ...
Comet Hale-Bopp For other uses, see Comet (disambiguation). ...
A giant Hubble mosaic of the Crab Nebula. ...
The Palermo Technical Impact Hazard Scale is a logarithmic scale used by astronomers to rate the potential hazard of impact of a near-earth object. ...
Overview
The Torino Scale uses a scale from 0 to 10. A 0 indicates an object has a negligibly small chance of collision with the Earth, compared with the usual "background noise" of collision events, or is too small to penetrate the Earth's atmosphere intact. A 10 indicates that a collision is certain, and the impacting object is large enough to precipitate a global disaster. Only integer values are ever used. Earth (IPA: , often referred to as the Earth, Terra, or Planet Earth) is the third planet in the solar system in terms of distance from the Sun, and the fifth largest. ...
Layers of Atmosphere (NOAA) Air redirects here. ...
The integers consist of the positive natural numbers (1, 2, 3, …), their negatives (−1, −2, −3, ...) and the number zero. ...
An object is assigned a 0 to 10 value based on its collision probability and its kinetic energy (expressed in megatons of TNT). Note: The Little Boy weapon dropped on Hiroshima had a yield of approximately 13 kilotons of TNT. Thus, a megaton of TNT is equivalent to roughly 77 Hiroshima bombs. Image File history File links Figure for Torino scale, created by me (Looxix). ...
Image File history File links Figure for Torino scale, created by me (Looxix). ...
Kinetic energy is the energy that a body possesses as a result of its motion. ...
A megaton or megatonne is a unit of mass equal to 1,000,000 metric tons, i. ...
A postwar Little Boy casing mockup. ...
For other uses, see Hiroshima (disambiguation). ...
History The Torino Scale was created by Professor Richard P. Binzel in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The first version, called "A Near-Earth Object Hazard Index", was presented at a United Nations conference in 1995 and was published by Binzel in the subsequent conference proceedings (Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, volume 822, 1997.) Richard (Rick) P. Binzel is a Professor of Planetary Sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. ...
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, or MIT, is a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. MIT is organized into five schools and one college, containing 34 academic departments and 53 interdisciplinary laboratories, centers and programs. ...
The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate co-operation in international law, international security, economic development, and social equity. ...
A revised version of the "Hazard Index" was presented at a June 1999 international conference on NEOs held in Torino (Turin), Italy. The conference participants voted to adopt the revised version, where the bestowed name "Torino Scale" recognizes the spirit of international cooperation displayed at that conference toward research efforts to understand the hazards posed by NEOs. ("Torino Scale" is the proper usage, not "Turin Scale.") In 2005 a re-worded scale was published to better communicate the risks to the public. Country Italy Region Piedmont Province Turin (TO) Mayor Sergio Chiamparino (The Union) Elevation 240 m Area 130 km² Population - Total (as of December 31, 2004) 902,255 - Density 6928/km² Time zone CET, UTC+1 Coordinates Gentilic Torinesi Dialing code 011 Postal code 10100 Patron St. ...
2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Current Torino scale The Torino Scale also uses a color code scale: white, green, yellow, orange, red. Each color code has an overall meaning: | NO HAZARD (white) | | 0. | The likelihood of a collision is zero, or is so low as to be effectively zero. Also applies to small objects such as meteors and bodies that burn up in the atmosphere as well as infrequent meteorite falls that rarely cause damage. | | NORMAL (green) | | 1. | A routine discovery in which a pass near the Earth is predicted that poses no unusual level of danger. Current calculations show the chance of collision is extremely unlikely with no cause for public attention or public concern. New telescopic observations very likely will lead to re-assignment to Level 0. | | MERITING ATTENTION BY ASTRONOMERS (yellow) | | 2. | A discovery, which may become routine with expanded searches, of an object making a somewhat close but not highly unusual pass near the Earth. While meriting attention by astronomers, there is no cause for public attention or public concern as an actual collision is very unlikely. New telescopic observations very likely will lead to re-assignment to Level 0. | | 3. | A close encounter, meriting attention by astronomers. Current calculations give a 1% or greater chance of collision capable of localized destruction. Most likely, new telescopic observations will lead to re-assignment to Level 0. Attention by public and by public officials is merited if the encounter is less than a decade away. | | 4. | A close encounter, meriting attention by astronomers. Current calculations give a 1% or greater chance of collision capable of regional devastation. Most likely, new telescopic observations will lead to re-assignment to Level 0. Attention by public and by public officials is merited if the encounter is less than a decade away. | | THREATENING (orange) | | 5. | A close encounter posing a serious, but still uncertain threat of regional devastation. Critical attention by astronomers is needed to determine conclusively whether or not a collision will occur. If the encounter is less than a decade away, governmental contingency planning may be warranted. | | 6. | A close encounter by a large object posing a serious but still uncertain threat of a global catastrophe. Critical attention by astronomers is needed to determine conclusively whether or not a collision will occur. If the encounter is less than three decades away, governmental contingency planning may be warranted. | | 7. | A very close encounter by a large object, which if occurring this century, poses an unprecedented but still uncertain threat of a global catastrophe. For such a threat in this century, international contingency planning is warranted, especially to determine urgently and conclusively whether or not a collision will occur. | | CERTAIN COLLISIONS (red) | | 8. | A collision is certain, capable of causing localized destruction for an impact over land or possibly a tsunami if close offshore. Such events occur on average between once per 50 years and once per several 1000 years. | | 9. | A collision is certain, capable of causing unprecedented regional devastation for a land impact or the threat of a major tsunami for an ocean impact. Such events occur on average between once per 10,000 years and once per 100,000 years. | | 10. | A collision is certain, capable of causing global climatic catastrophe that may threaten the future of civilization as we know it, whether impacting land or ocean. Such events occur on average once per 100,000 years, or less often. | Wording taken from [1].
Objects with high Torino ratings The current record for highest Torino rating is held by 99942 Apophis, a 400m near-Earth asteroid. On December 23, 2004, NASA's Near Earth Object Program Office announced that Apophis (then known only by its provisional designation 2004 MN4) was the first object to reach a level 2 on the Torino Scale, and it was subsequently upgraded to level 4. It is now expected to pass the Earth on April 13, 2029 quite closely but with no possibility of an impact. Future uncertainties in the orbit of Apophis will occur because of gravitational deflection during the 2029 encounter, so a Torino rating of 1 (for an encounter in 2036) applied until August 2006, when Apophis was downgraded to 0. Close approach of Apophis on April 13, 2029 The white bar indicates uncertainty in the range of positions 99942 Apophis (previously better known by its provisional designation 2004 MN4) is a Near-Earth asteroid that caused a brief period of concern in December 2005 because initial observations indicated a relatively...
The metre, or meter (US), is a measure of length. ...
Near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) are asteroids whose orbits are close to Earths orbit. ...
December 23 is the 357th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (358th in leap years). ...
2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
The provisional designation of comets and asteroids are similar to each other: they both follow a pattern set in 1925 by the Minor Planet Center of the IAU. Historical designations At first, astronomers strove to assign symbols to the minor planets: 1 Ceres a stylized sickle 2 Pallas a lozenge...
April 13 is the 103rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (104th in leap years). ...
Centuries: 20th century - 21st century - 22nd century Decades: 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s - 2020s - 2030s 2040s 2050s 2060s 2070s Years: 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 - 2029 - 2030 2031 2032 2033 2029 (MMXXIX) is a common year starting on Monday. ...
2036 (MMXXXVI) will be a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Prior to Apophis, no NEO had ever been given a Torino value higher than 1. In February 2006, the rating for 2004 VD17 was upgraded to a value of 2 due to a possible encounter in the year 2102, making it the second asteroid to ever be given a Torino scale value higher than 1. 2004 VD17 (also written 2004 VD17) is a near-Earth asteroid with a low but non-zero probability of impacting Earth in 2102. ...
(Redirected from 2102) (21st century - 22nd century - 23rd century - other centuries) The twenty-second century comprises the years 2101 to 2200. ...
As of November 2006, the only object rated above Level 0 is:
Due to exaggerated press coverage of asteroids such as 2003 QQ47, astronomers started to work on a re-wording of the Torino scale, which was published in 2005. It was also considered to phase it out completely in favour of a scale which is less likely to generate false alarms that may reduce public confidence in genuine alerts. One alternative would be the Palermo Technical Impact Hazard Scale. 2003 QQ47 (also written 2003 QQ47) is an asteroid which became famous briefly upon its discovery in late August 2003 when media outlets played up a preliminary report that it had a 1:250,000 chance of colliding with Earth on March 21, 2014. ...
2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
The Palermo Technical Impact Hazard Scale is a logarithmic scale used by astronomers to rate the potential hazard of impact of a near-earth object. ...
See also To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...
Artists impression of a major impact event. ...
External links - The Torino Impact Hazard Scale
- NASA Ames: Asteroid and Comet Impact Hazards: The Torino Scale
- New Scientist: "Row erupts over asteroid press scare" (18 September 2003)
- NASA Near Earth Object Program: Impact Risk – A current listing of NEOs with the potential of a Torino value of 1 or more
- Torino Scale
- The Torino Scale
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