2019行星撞地球，是真的！

Astronomers say they can now spot previously unknown Earth-bound asteroids early enough to evacuate potential impact sites.

天文学家说，他们现在能够更早地发现以前未知的地球小行星，从而疏散潜在的撞击地点。

2019 MO is only four metres across, but was detected barreling towards the Earth when it was 500,000km away- about 30 percent further than the moon - according to the University of Hawaii's Institute for Astronomy, which operates space telescopes on the remote state's Big Island and Maui.

夏威夷大学天文研究所称，在夏威夷偏远的大岛和毛伊岛使用太空望远镜观测天文时，在距离地球50万公里(比月球远30%)外的太空，探测到一颗直径4米的小行星MO，正冲向地球。

(Photo credit: Institute for Astronomy)

Initial analysis suggested a collision with Earth was possible, and when astronomers discovered a second telescope had picked it up, they determined it was likely.

根据最初的分析，与地球相撞的几率是有的，当天文学家用第二架望远镜观测到它时，他们肯定了相撞的预测。

Twelve hours later on June 22, something slammed into the atmosphere just south of San Juan, Puerto Rico - matching where the astronomers had predicted it would hit.

12个小时后的6月22日，波多黎各圣胡安南部的一颗小行星撞上了大气层，与天文学家预测的撞击位置相符。

2019 MO harmlessly exploded in the atmosphere with a force of five kilotons, about a third the size of the bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima in World War II, space news site EarthSky reported. The impact was picked up by weather satellites and an infrasound monitoring station in Bermuda.

据太空新闻网站EarthSky报道，2019年，MO在大气层中以5000吨的力量爆炸，大约相当于二战期间广岛原子弹的三分之一，没有造成任何伤害。这次撞击是由气象卫星和百慕大的一个次声监测站探测到的。