Asteroid Has 1 in 63,000 Chance of Hitting Earth in 2032

An asteroid known as 2013 TV135 could hit Earth in 2032, Ukrainian astronomers report. And while the 1,350-foot-wide space object has the potential to cause real damage shoud it strike, the odds of impact are slim, the scientists from the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory said.

NASA has confirmed the asteroid's presence, listing the chance of impact as 1 in 63,000, meaning there is a 99.9984 percent it will not hit Earth. Though, NASA notes, this "depends on a number of assumptions that are difficult to verify" and "can easily be inaccurate by a factor of a few, and occasionally by a factor of ten or more."

"This is a relatively new discovery," Don Yeomans, manager of NASA's Near-Earth Object Program Office at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said in a press release entitled "Asteroid 2013 TV135 -- A Reality Check."

"With more observations, I fully expect we will be able to significantly reduce, or rule out entirely, any impact probability for the foreseeable future," Yeomans said.

The asteroid came within roughly 4.2 million miles Sept. 16, but wasn't discovered until Oct. 8. According to NASA, the asteroid's orbit carries it out about three-quarters of the distance to Jupiter's orbit and as close to the Sun as Earth's orbit.

"With only a week of observations for an orbital period that spans almost four years, its future orbital path is still quite uncertain, but this asteroid could be back in Earth's neighborhood in 2032," the press release reads, noting that the odds are still very low.

NASA is responsible for detecting, tracking and characterizing asteroids and comets that swing by Earth -- a task it carries out using both ground- and space-based telescopes.

In all, the agency has identified more than 10,000 near-Earth objects.