Scientists have discovered 3 extremely destructive asteroids hidden in the solar system. These are near-Earth asteroids. One of these is the most dangerous asteroid ever discovered, according to scientists at the NoirLab research center.
Because of the glare of the sunlight, they could not be detected that way. But they were discovered during low-light observations using the dark energy camera at the observatory in Chile. These are asteroids that orbit between the orbits of Earth and Venus. Intense sunlight always hampers observation in this area. This is the area closest to the sun.
So far only 25 asteroids have been detected from these places.
Two of the asteroids discovered so far have a surface area of more than one kilometer. If they fall, they can cause great damage to planets including Earth. Scientists also say that an asteroid named 2022 AP7 has an orbit that could affect Earth dangerously in the future.
Mankind has been pondering how to defend against asteroids headed for Earth for some time. A space defense branch called Planetary Defense is also active for this purpose. Its first mission, Dart, made big news last month when it hit an asteroid.
NASA’s Dart probe crashed into a small asteroid named Dimorphus. Dimorphos is an asteroid orbiting the large asteroid Didymos. The purpose of DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) is to alter its orbit. This goal is generally believed to have been achieved. Didymos and Dymorphus are asteroids 1.1 million kilometers from Earth. A crater was also found in Dimorphus due to the impact of the thunder.
The deadliest of the asteroid accidents is the Chicxulub asteroid fall that happened 6.6 million years ago during the Cretaceous period. The huge asteroid with a size of 10-15 km fell in Yucatan, Mexico. The environmental changes caused by this impact led to the extinction of the dinosaurs.
Three-quarters of the species that existed on Earth were destroyed.
In 1908, a space object believed to be an asteroid exploded in the Tunguska forest region of Siberia, Russia, burning 500,000 acres of forest land. There were no deaths as it was an uninhabited area. About 8 crore trees were uprooted and stood like telephone poles.
In 2013, a rock the size of a tennis court exploded in the sky over Chelyabinsk, Russia. It was three times more powerful than Hiroshima. Many houses were destroyed and 1600 people were injured.
English Summary : Smallest Asteroid to Hit Earth