Updated: September 3, 2020 8:12:37 AM
Asteroids are rocky objects that orbit the Sun, much smaller than planets. Pictured is the asteroid Bennu. (Credit: NASA)
NASA is looking for the asteroid 465824 2010 FR, which is twice the pyramid of Giza and is expected Cross Earth orbit on September 6th. It has been classified as a Never-Earth Ject (NEO) and a potentially dangerous asteroid (PHA).
NEOs occasionally move closer to Earth when they orbit the Sun, and when that happens, NASA’s Center-Near-Earth Budget Study (CNEOS) determines their distance. NASA has defined NEOs as comets and asteroids as they are orbited by the gravitational pull of nearby planets that could allow them to enter Earth’s vicinity. These objects are mostly made up of dust particles embedded in water ice.
Asteroid 465824 2010 FR was discovered on March 18, 2010 by the Catalina Sky Survey (CSS).
What is an asteroid?
Asteroids are rocky objects that orbit the Sun, much smaller than planets. They are also called small planets. According to NASA, 994,383 are the number of known asteroids, dating to 6.6 billion years before the formation of the solar system.
Most of these Mars objects can be found in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, with an estimated 1.1-1.9 million asteroids. The concentration of asteroids in this belt is revealed by the formation of Jupiter, whose gravity terminates the body formation of any planet in this region, resulting in smaller bodies colliding with each other, splitting into asteroids. .
Aside from being found in the main asteroid belt, asteroids can be classified into Trojans, which are asteroids that share an orbit with a larger planet. NASA reports the presence of Jupiter, Neptune and the Mars Trojan. In 2011, they also reported an Earth Trojan.
The third classification of asteroids can be similar to near-Earth asteroids (NEA), whose orbits pass close to Earth. Those who cross the Earth’s orbit are called Earth crossers.
More than 10,000 such asteroids are known, of which more than 1,400 are classified as potentially dangerous asteroids (PHA).
Why do scientists track asteroids?
Scientists study them to find information about the composition and history of the planets and the sun, as asteroids were formed like other objects in the solar system. Another reason to track them is to find asteroids that can be potentially dangerous.
Also explained | What is the asteroid 2018 VP1 that will depart for Earth this November?
When do asteroids become dangerous?
According to the Planetary Society, about 1 billion asteroids are more than 1 meter in diameter. Objects that can cause significant damage when impacted are larger than 30 meters. Each year, about 30 small asteroids hit the Earth, but do no major damage to the Earth.
According to NASA, “Potentially Dangerous Asteroids (PHAs) are currently determined based on the potential parameters of asteroids to form dangerous proximity approaches to Earth. In particular, all asteroids with a minimum orbit intersection distance (MOID) of 0.05 a or less are considered pH. “
However, it is not necessary that asteroids classified as PHA will affect Earth. “It simply came to our notice then. By monitoring these PHAs and updating their orbits as new observations become available, we can better predict near-approach statistics and therefore their Earth-impact hazards, ”says NASA.
NASA’s near-Earth ject budget observation program detects, traces, and characterizes 140 percent or larger (larger than a small football stadium) than 90 percent of the number predicted by the NEO – which, according to the space agency, is a “great concern.” They are also capable of affecting due to the level of destruction. However, it is important to note that no eclipse larger than 140 meters has a “significant” chance of hitting Earth for the next 100 years.
📣 Express explained Now on Wire. Click here to join our channel (@ieexplained) and stay updated with the latest
How can asteroids be ignored?
Over the years, scientists have suggested various ways to prevent such hazards, such as throwing an asteroid before it reaches Earth, or removing it from its Earth-bound path by hitting it from a spacecraft.
The hardest step undertaken so far has been the Asteroid Impact and Deflation Assessment (AIDA), which includes NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission and the European Space Agency (ESA) Hera. The target of the mission is Didimos, a binary planet close to Earth, with a body of one size that could pose a significant threat to Earth.
In 2018, NASA announced that it has begun construction of the DRT, which aims to slam into a small asteroid in the DDMOS system in 2022 with a target of about 6 km. Is about to start per second. Hera, which is set to launch in 2024, will arrive at the Didimos system in 2027 to measure the impact pit generated by DRT collisions and to study the orbital transformation of the asteroid.
How are asteroids named?
They are named by the International Astronomical Union (IAU). NASA notes that the IAU’s Committee on Small Body Naming is less strict when it comes to naming asteroids than small IAU naming committees.
So, there are asteroids named after the Star Trek character Mr. Spock, rock musician Frank Zappa and seven asteroids named after crew members of the Columbia Space Shuttle. Asteroids are named for places and different things and naming asteroids for pets disappoints the IAU.
📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines
For all the latest unveiled news, download the Indian Express app.
. The Indian Express (P) Ltd.
.
