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Mysterious Space Junk labelled ‘WTF’ set to crash near Sri Lanka on November 13

A piece of space junk will fall back to Earth next month, giving researchers a chance to study how incoming objects behave when they hit the planet’s atmosphere. The object sheds light on how mankind’s junk is now overloading even space itself.

The object, which is known as WT1190F, is expected to enter Earth’s atmosphere on Nov. 13 above the Indian Ocean, about 62 miles (100 kilometers) south of Sri Lanka. The impending impact poses little risk to people, experts say.

The object, being referred to as WTF1190F, is reportedly set to land in the Indian Ocean, around 40 miles (65km) off the southern tip of Sri Lanka, at 6:20 UTC on November 13. Much, if not all, of it will burn up in the atmosphere, but “I would not necessarily want to be going fishing directly underneath it”, says independent astronomy-software developer Bill Gray to Nature.

The said object measures about 7ft long, there are many theories around what it might be — from a piece of rocket from a recent lunar mission to part of an Apollo program craft that may have been floating in space for around four decades. WT1190F’s trajectory was first calculated in 2012-13. The good news is that rather than being a threat to Earth, the object is believed to give scientists a chance to observe a relatively small impact from its approach and landing.

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