What about these new asteroids known as ‘Planet Killers’?
Astronomers have detected three asteroids near Earth. Two of them are a potential threat as ‘planet killer’ because of their hazardous and large size, but the good part is that they aren’t expected to hurt us.
Read down below why astronomers have detected these asteroids just now.
Causes that Have Slowed Down the Finding of the Asteroids
The ‘planet killers’ were undetectable because the sun’s brightness hid them.
According to the National Science Foundation’s NOIRLab, an international space team of astronomers held up until twilight to examine the asteroids. They resorted to another method, using a dark energy camera from a Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope.
A massive asteroid has also caused significant endanger to Earth in the last eight years. This asteroid is known as 2022 AP7 and is situated a little one mile wide from Earth. 2022 AP7 has an orbit that could extend Earth’s path in the future, but the timetable is uncertain.
Based on researchers’ work, if an asteroid that is a mile long ever connects with Earth, the consequences could be disastrous because the atmosphere would have impact pollutants.
What Risks Will Be If Any of These Asteroids Hits the Earth?
Paul Chodas, the director of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory Center for Near Earth Object Studies said:
It remains very far from Earth, kind of locked in a residence that keeps it as being actually one of the most distant of the asteroids that we categorize as potentially hazardous.
The asteroids could have devastating impacts on the planet, but that doesn’t mean they will strike Earth. The closest asteroid to the sun is 2021 PH27. NASA’s plans for 2026 are to send a surveyor into space to notice asteroids in the region and detect any threat to Earth.
More information is to appear about these asteroids known as ‘planet killers,’ so wait patiently!