It is well known that an asteroid strike can cause significant disruptions to our planet; some rumors claim a small space rock observed by Mount Lemmon Observatory on August 28, 2021, was on its way to collide with our planet. 

According to the European Southern Observatory, the claim dates back to 2052, but it has been refuted since then.

In formal terms, the 50-meter-wide asteroid known as 2021 QM1 has been removed from the risk list.

As the faintest asteroid to be observed, the asteroid 2021 QM1 was observed and analyzed by one of the world's most sensitive telescopes, the VLT of the ESO.

'We were able to extrapolate the future course of the asteroid through these initial investigations,' explained ESA's Head of Planetary Defence.

 There is an expectation that we may be able to predict the course of its orbit around the Sun, and this may result in the near-collision of the Earth in 2052. As the asteroid was carefully monitored, the risk increased as it grew closer to the earth.'

Using this new information, the trajectory of our dangerous asteroids has been adjusted, eliminating the possibility of an impact in 2052, and 2021 QM1 has been removed from the ESA's list of potentially hazardous asteroids. There are only 1,377 left.

Among the thousands of asteroids in the Solar System, on average 30,000 of them are close to the Earth and were detected as far back as 1800 years ago.

There may still be many more. Astronomers around the world are looking upward to keep us safe, as the NEOCC, Planetary Defense Office, and the European Space Agency (ESA) do.

As far as the future is concerned, nobody has been able to look over their shoulders, so we can probably say with confidence that we are secure for the time being. There is no way for us to predict for sure whether an asteroid will change its course or not.