Space object should pose no danger to SL-Dr. Jayaratne

A space object, now better known as WTF1190F, would not cause any damage in Sri Lanka, Senior Lecturer in Physics, University of Colombo and Consultant on Astronomy and Space Science, Arthur C Clarke Institute for Modern Technologies, Dr. Chandana Jayaratne, said yesterday.

Dr. Jayaratne told Daily Mirror that in all probability the object would just explode in the air before hitting earth.“The object will probably explode in the air and burn out before it reaches the earth’s surface and therefore there is no need to panic,” he said.

He however warned that the location at which the object was expected to make landfall could change. “The movement of space objects of this nature can be unpredictable as none of the fears mentioned by scientists in the past with regards to such objects had come true,” he said.

Meanwhile a media release from the Arthur C Clarke Institute for Modern Technologies said they had still not identified the origin of the object or what it really was. (Yohan Perera)