Scientists have discovered a ‘planet killer’ asteroid hiding in the glare of the Sun which is the largest potentially hazardous asteroid detected in eight years.
Scientists have discovered a ‘planet killer’ asteroid hiding in the glare of the Sun.An international team discovered three new near-Earth asteroids hiding in the inner Solar System.
Also of special interest to astronomers and astrophysicists, 2021 PH27 is the closest known asteroid to the Sun.As such, it has the largest general-relativity effects of any object in our Solar System and during its orbit its surface gets hot enough to melt lead. ‘There are likely only a few NEAs with similar sizes left to find, and these large undiscovered asteroids likely have orbits that keep them interior to the orbits of Earth and Venus most of the time.
Additionally, such observations are very near to the horizon, meaning that astronomers have to observe through a thick layer of Earth’s atmosphere, which can blur and distort their observations. ‘DECam can cover large areas of sky to depths not achievable on smaller telescopes, allowing us to go deeper, cover more sky, and probe the inner Solar System in ways never done before.’As well as detecting asteroids that could potentially pose a threat to Earth, the research is an important step toward understanding the distribution of small bodies in our Solar System.
France Dernières Nouvelles, France Actualités
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