Astronomers have discovered a new “potentially dangerous” asteroid

An international group of astronomers announced the discovery of a huge asteroid whose orbit intersects with the Earth, creating a negligible chance of a catastrophic collision in the distant future.

Asteroid 1.5 km in diameter, named 2022 AP7was found in an area where it is particularly difficult to detect objects due to the brightness Sun.

It was discovered using high-tech instruments in Victor M. Blanco telescopein Chile, originally designed to study dark matter, and the results of the study were published in the scientific journal Astronomical journal.

” 2022 AP7 crosses the orbit of the Earth, which makes it a potentially dangerous asteroid, but at present its trajectory cannot lead to its collision with the Earth, either now or in the future, ”said the lead author of the find, an astronomer Scott Sheppard from the Carnegie Institute of Science.

The potential threat comes from the fact that, like any object in orbit, its trajectory will slowly change under the influence of many gravitational forces. Therefore, it is difficult to make long-term forecasts.

United States funded group and research NOIRLabwhich operates several observatories, described the asteroid as “the largest object of potential danger to Earth discovered in the past eight years.”

To 2022 AP7 It takes five years to circle the Sun in its current orbit, and its closest point to Earth remains several million kilometers away.

“Destructive Impact”

Although the risk is very small, collision asteroid that size “would have a devastating impact on life as we know it,” Sheppard says. He explains that the dust that rises into the air will have a huge cooling effect, causing “an extinction event the like of which has not been seen on Earth for millions of years.”

None of the approximately 30,000 asteroids of all sizes classified as “near-Earth objects” (NEOs) will threaten the Earth in the next 100 years.

According to Sheppard, “20 to 50 huge NEOs remain to be found,” but most of them are in orbits located in sunlight.

In preparation for the future discovery of a more dangerous facility, POT at the end of September, he completed a test mission during which the spacecraft collided with an asteroid, proving that it was possible to change its trajectory. (AFP)

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