Discover the killer of the planet hiding in the sunlight

2022 AP7 It is the largest asteroid discovered in the past eight years and potentially dangerous to Earth. It has a diameter of 1.5 kilometers, reports the American Research Institute NOIRLab. Because the impact of such a segment would affect several continents, these asteroids are called “killer planet“.

The fact that the asteroid has not been found for a long time despite its enormous size is due to its orbit. This is between Earth and Venus. To see it, astronomers must look toward the sun. Because of the brightness of the Sun, it is very difficult to determine anything in this direction with ordinary telescopes.

Only 25 of these asteroids have been discovered so far. Some were not found until it was too late. In 2013, an asteroid about 20 meters in size fell from the direction of the Sun. And exploded over the Russian city Chelyabinsk. The pressure of the explosion shattered many windows. 1,491 people were injured by broken glass.

The asteroid is potentially dangerous

AP7 was discovered in 2022 using dark energy camera From the Cerro Tololo Observatory in Chile. This only works at dusk, twice a day for 10 minutes. It records large parts of the night sky at great depth and thus can detect things that remain hidden to other telescopes.

2022 AP7 was released as “Potentially dangerous“Because its orbit could one day cross the course of the Earth. However, according to current calculations, the impact risks are low. The asteroid is likely to collide with Earth at most. 7 million km Approaching

By astronomical standards, that’s pretty close. Therefore, large asteroids are closer to Earth than they are 0.05AU (7.48 million km) is listed as dangerous. AU is the distance from the Earth to the Sun (about 150 million km).

Global destruction when an asteroid hits Earth

If AP7 actually hits in 2022, it would be “global devastation. It would be very detrimental to life on Earth as we know it.” Scott Shepherd Opposite The New York Times. he is an author studyduring which AP7 was discovered in 2022. According to the calculations of other scientists, an asteroid with a diameter of 50 meters would be enough to destroy all of London if it hit directly.

In addition to 2022 AP7, two other asteroids have been discovered: 2021 PH27 And the 2021 LG 4. The PH27 measures between 900 meters and 1.7 kilometers, and the LJ4 between 300 and 600 metres. Both do not come close to Earth more than 0.05 AU.