Three Near-Earth Asteroids Were Hiding in the Sun's Glare
One of them, which measures nearly one mile wide, might cross paths with Earth in the distant future
Will Sullivan
November 1, 2022
Astronomers have discovered three asteroids that had been “hiding” unseen in the sun’s glare. The space rocks are considered near-Earth objects—meaning their orbits take them within roughly 120 million miles of the sun.
The biggest of the three asteroids, named 2022 AP7, is nearly one mile wide—large enough to be called a “planet-killer.” And it has an orbit that might one day cross paths with Earth’s, according to a Monday statement from NOIRLab, which operates the telescope that spotted the asteroids.
But the discovery should not be cause for alarm, experts say. “There is an extremely low probability of an impact in the foreseeable future,” Tracy Becker, a planetary scientist at the Southwest Research Institute who did not contribute to the work, tells the New York Times’ Robin George Andrews.
Scientists say 2022 AP7 will stay away from Earth, for now. But the asteroid might not be harmless forever. “Way down the line, in the next few thousand years, it could turn into a problem for our descendants,” Alan Fitzsimmons, an astronomer at Queen’s University Belfast in Northern Ireland who did not contribute to the work, tells the Times.
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Astronomers used the Dark Energy Camera on the Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope in Chile to discover the asteroids. CTIO / NOIRLab / NSF / AURA / B. Tafreshi
More:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/three-near-earth-asteroids-were-hiding-in-the-suns-glare-180981055/
Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope
Víctor M. Blanco
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