SERAMBINEWS.COM – Because it comes from the direction of the sun, this asteroid is not detected as it approaches Earth.
Thankfully, Earth is safe even though the asteroid, which is as wide as a football field, is approaching.
An asteroid event that crossed Earth undetected again occurred recently.
An asteroid named 2021 SG was not seen until a day after the space rock passed our planet.
Quoting from Cnet, this event provided a moment of deja vu when a meteor fell on the city of Chelyabinsk in Russia in 2013 that was not detected before.
The meteor that fell 8 years ago is estimated to be only a quarter of the diameter of the 2021 SG asteroid, but the shockwave effect blew thousands of windows of residents’ houses in the city, injuring hundreds of victims.
Asteroid 2021 SG is not only massive in size, but also traveling at over 53,000 mph (85,295 kph).
Cnet says that 2021 SG passes through planet Earth safely, but at a relatively close astronomical distance of 153,000 miles (246,000 km).
If it enters Earth’s atmosphere, it will most likely cause destruction, especially if it hits near a populated area.
Both the Chelyabinsk meteor and the asteroid 2021 SG both show a literal blind spot when it comes to observing so-called near-Earth objects: Sun.
As explained by the Solar System ambassador NASA, namely Eddie Irizarry and editor-in-chief of EarthSky, namely Deborah Byrd, the two space rocks were not detected when approaching our planet because they came from the direction of the sun.
Astronomers use large telescopes, sky surveys, and other advanced technology to detect all objects in space, even tiny bits of old satellites in orbit. However, if the object is coming from the sun, it will be difficult to detect it.
To avoid such incidents, NASA plans to launch the NEO Surveyor spacecraft in 2026.
The spacecraft will be placed between Earth and the sun, so it can detect objects that cannot be seen from here.
This article has been published on Kontan.co.id with the title
-“Coming from the sun, this asteroid went undetected as it approached Earth”
