Earth: A Face-Off With Asteroids

In accordance with a news update on India Today, the report reads about a thing of concern. It has only been a little more than a month since NASA in deep space has depleted an asteroid successfully. Astronomers have now again encountered three Near Earth Asteroids (NEAs) which were hiding all these while in the inner solar system making it difficult for them to detect. They have confirmed that an object amongst three others having a width of 1.5 kilometers having an orbit makes every chance of coming into the path of the Earth, someday.

The international researcher’s team with the use of a Dark Energy Camera (DECam) mounting it over the VÃctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope was able to spot these objects. They did it from Inter-American Observatory in Chile. It was not easy to find this as the asteroids are placed in the inner part of the Earth’s and Venuses orbit. It becomes more challenging to view due to the Sun’s glare.

Earth
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Scott S. Sheppard who happens to be an astronomer at the Carnegie Institution for Science has said that they have found two of the large near-Earth asteroids being a kilometer across having the size of a planet killer. The Astronomical Journal, further elaborates that the population of asteroids in the interior of the earth is important because they complete the census of asteroids.

The team of scientists has discovered that there is a trio of such asteroids that are present at 1.5 kilometers wide. They have named it 2022 AP7. There are other asteroids as well that are away from the path of the having the names 2021PH27 and 2021LJ4. Astronomers have also stated that the closest asteroid to the Sun is 2021PH27 having the largest general relativity. But it has a chance of affecting any objects of the solar system while it’s in the orbit. Its surface even turns so hot that it can melt lead.

Earth
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Astronomers have stated that such research findings are very important because it helps in the understanding of the distribution of the small bodies which are present around the Solar System. The good thing about the asteroids that are away from the Sun is that they can be easily detected because they do not get hidden due to the rays. But due to that, the asteroids that are at a distance tend to be a little dominating about the present theoretical models amongst the population of the asteroids.

When astronomers detect these things, it also lets them develop an understanding of the transportation of the asteroids all around the inner circle of the Soler System. The researches are still on and so this is why astronomers are presently unable to say about the course of the asteroids. It is also a little difficult to say presently when it would come closer to the Earth as well. The good thing is that NASA already has already given a demonstration of a tool that is capable of deflecting successfully the Dart Mission by intentionally crashing into an Asteroid and changing the speed of its orbit.