A team of astronomers from different parts of the planet discovered a asteroid which is gaining a particular name. Dubbed the “planet killer”, 2022 AP7 is the most dangerous asteroid for the existence of life on Earth discovered in at least the past eight years.
Its dimensions are not defined with certainty: estimates put it from about 1 km to 2.3 km in diameter. Other data says the size is 1.5 km. The name derives from the possibility that he, with that size, destroys our planet. The study was revealed in an article in The Astronomical Journal.
The “planet killer” was discovered during the search with Dark Power Camera, in Chile, one of the largest astronomical observation projects in existence. It may even be among the most dangerous asteroids ever discovered by science.
This appellation is scary, but there is no need to be afraid, at least for now. This is because it is far from Earth and the possibility of AP7 hitting our system is pretty slim for now.
“Over time, the asteroid will begin to cross into Earth’s orbit closest to where Earth is, but it will take centuries in the future, and we don’t know the orbit of 2022 AP7 accurately enough to say much about its dangers over the centuries to Come.” says the group’s lead scientist, Scott Sheppard, of the Earth and Planets Laboratory at the Carnegie Institution for Science.
Despite this, he states in an interview with Euronews Next that “the twilight survey is scouring the area within the orbits of the Earth and Venus for other asteroids. So far we have found two large ones close to Earth about one kilometer in diameter. “.
The other two found are 2021 LJ4 and 2021 PH27, which, despite their similar size, have orbits far from our planet.
What about the future?
If, for now, there is no risk, there is fear for the future. THE NASA has invested in defense tests against off-planet objects. Recently, a spacecraft from the Dart mission collided with a small asteroid that could hit Earth.. But the same cannot be said if an asteroid about 1 km long arrives in our orbit.
For Sheppard, this would have a devastating impact on life as we know it. The surface would likely cool down, as sunlight would not be able to reach it easily.
“It would be a mass extinction event like we haven’t seen on Earth for millions of years,” he says.
For the director of the Spaceguard Center in England, the chances of a collision are slim and in the very distant future. Long enough to have a way to counter the threat.
“But if it goes wrong, we could lose 25% to 40% of the population, plus a failure in the essential infrastructure that sustains humanity today,” he tells Euronews Next.
Now we hope that the predictions are right and that we don’t have to worry about AP7 2022 at any time.
With information from The Astronomical Newspaper and Euronews
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