‘Planet killer’ asteroid found hidden in Sun’s glare. Read to know details

Recently, astronomers discovered three asteroids in the twilight because they were hidden in the Sun’s glare. Out of the three near-Earth asteroids discovered, one is classified as a ‘planet killer’ and named “2022 AP7”.

Scott Sheppard and his colleagues at the Carnegie Institution for Science, Washington, mentioned in the Astronomical Journal that “2022 AP7” is a potentially hazardous asteroid because it traverses Earth’s orbit. However, the dangers may happen centuries from today. He also stated that they are conducting a twilight survey exploring the Earth’s and Venus’s orbit in search of asteroids.

Facts known about the ‘planet killer’ asteroid

• The diameter of the planet killer is between 1.1km and 2.3km.
• It is the biggest potentially hazardous asteroid (PHA) discovered since 2014.
• It may probably be among the top 5% of the largest PHA.

FAQs:

1. Will 2022 AP7 cause any danger?
   Sheppard and his team found two large near-Earth asteroids about 1 kilometre and more in size. He explained that if an asteroid’s size is more than 1km, it falls under the class of planet killers; hence, “2022 AP7” is a planet killer and dangerous. However, “2022 AP7” crosses Earth’s orbit when the Earth is on the Sun’s other side, so there is no need to panic, Sheppard assured.
2. Will there be any changes observed on Earth because of the planet killer?
   Sheppard clarified that the 2022 AP7’s orbit is not entirely known to predict its dangers. But it may cross Earth’s orbit one day centuries from now.