An Italian X-ray observing satellite is about to enter uncontrolled. If you live very near the equator, a chunk of it could theoretically bonk you.

The ASI calculates the chance that a person will be hit by falling debris to be one in 2000. The probability of a strike on an aircraft is one in 10 million, they estimate.

BeppoSAX carries solar panels that are 18 metres wide. It is expected to break into around 40 fragments as it re-enters and much of its mass will burn up. Fragments that survive to hit the ground are expected to have a combined mass of up to 400 kg.

This should be clarified. The chances of it hitting someone are one in 2000, not the chances of it hitting any particular person, which are millions of times lower. It would be like winning (or in this case, losing) a superduper lottery. That is, it’s not very likely to hit anyone at all, and of course, if you live above or below a few degrees of latitude, your chances of being hit are nil.

[Wednesday morning update]

It fell safely into the Pacific Ocean, near the Galapagos Islands.