Scientists have discovered the largest potentially dangerous asteroid in the past eight years – WN24.cz – World News 24

Scientists have found an asteroid that inspires respect for its size and flight path. In size it corresponds to the “planet killer” category, while it intersects the orbit of the Earth. The likelihood of a collision is low, although not negligible, the researchers note. The Guardian mentioned it.

Scientists from the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington have described a trio of new big names asteroids, one of which intersects the Earth’s orbit. They called it 2022 AP7 and called it the largest potentially dangerous asteroid discovered since 2014, he wrote The Guardian.

A huge “planet killer” asteroid has been discovered and is heading towards us https://t.co/RcMslwpX5g

– The Guardian (@guardian) November 1, 2022

The asteroid measures between 1.1 and 2.3 kilometers in diameter, which is why it falls into the category of “planet killers”. “Any asteroid larger than one kilometer is considered a planet killer”, said the leader of the team that discovered the three stones, Scott Sheppard.

A 22 AP7 impact on Earth could be considered catastrophic and, according to Sheppard, would lead to a major mass extinction such as Earth has not seen in millions of years. The impact on the earth’s surface would throw a huge amount of dust and other pollutants into the atmosphere. No light would reach the surface of the planet, the climate would cool sharply for many years.

Hope on behalf of DART

Scientists, however, in a study published in the journal Astronomical Journal they reassure that a collision with the Earth is not on the agenda. Sheppard said the asteroid currently has no chance of hitting Earth.

It crosses Earth’s orbit when we are on the other side of the Sun and should cross the orbit closest to the planet in a few hundred years. But scientists have no way of predicting what will happen in the distant future.

“At the moment, the likelihood of an impact is quite low. I would not say negligible, but low.” said Jay Tate, director of the National Near Earth Object Information Center in mid Wales.

Although there was the threat of an asteroid collision with our planet, the American agency NASA recently succeeded in the mission DART. The spacecraft successfully collided with a near-Earth asteroid and deflected it from its orbit.

So the scientists found a way to defend Earth from threats from the sky. However, Tate added that the 22 AP7 is too big. To change its trajectory, it would be necessary to send it several “suicide” probes.

It is also important to detect a dangerous asteroid in time. However, if it approaches from the direction of the Sun, even powerful telescopes may not catch it.

The other two asteroids pose no threat. However, they are quite far from the ground. There are a total of twenty-five asteroids in Earth’s orbit.