'Planet Killer' Asteroid Spotted Lurking In Sun's Glare – And It's Heading To Earth - HuffPost

2 years ago 37

A immense asteroid is heading toward Earth’s orbit — but astronomers aren’t worried.

The stone has a diameter of 1.1 to 2.3 km and has been named 2022 AP7, discovered betwixt the orbits of Earth and Venus.

The study, written up successful the Astronomical Journal and conducted by the Carnegie Institution for Science successful Washington, said it was the largest satellite killer-sized asteroid seen successful 8 years.

It was recovered done the Blanco 4-meter scope successful Chile.

2022 AP7 is 1 of 3 “rather large” abstraction rocks which could beryllium hazardous, and whitethorn adjacent beryllium successful the apical 5% of the largest ever found, according to the astronomers.

Lead survey writer Scott Sheppard explained that “any asteroid implicit 1km successful size is considered a satellite killer,” due to the fact that it would origin particulate and pollutants to beryllium pushed into the atmosphere.

And they could perchance enactment determination for a agelong time, blocking the sunlight and perchance causing a “mass extinction event” which hasn’t been seen connected Earth for millions of years, according to Sheppard.

But, portion the thought of an asteroid zooming towards Earth whitethorn punctual radical of Adam McKay’s dystopian “Don’t Look Up” film, there’s a crushed astronomers are not sounding the alarm.

It’s not apt to deed the Earth — conscionable the Earth’s orbit. Our satellite volition beryllium connected the different broadside of the prima during its yearly rotation erstwhile 2022 AP7 gets adjacent to it, meaning determination is nary accidental of collision immoderate clip soon.

Sheppard did pass that it volition implicit time, determination person to the Earth during its orbit, but this volition beryllium centuries from now.

He added: “We bash not cognize the orbit of 2022 AP7 precise capable to accidental overmuch astir its dangers centuries from now.”

In September, NASA’s Dart mission to deter an asteroid was successful.

This could go a blueprint of avoiding immoderate collision with Earth, suggesting successful the aboriginal we volition beryllium amended protected against specified hazards — though 2022 AP7 is astir apt excessively large to beryllium stopped successful this mode close present with conscionable 1 Dart.

The manager of the National Near Earth Objects Information Center, Jay Tate, told The Guardian that the Earth was a precise tiny target.

“At the moment, anyway, the interaction probability is reasonably low. I wouldn’t accidental negligible, but reasonably low,” helium said.