An asteroid 1.5 km wide is about to come into the path of the Earth. It is so dangerous that its collision can end life on Earth. At present, it is hidden behind the sun. In the last 8 years, scientists have seen the biggest and most dangerous asteroids. That is why it is called Planet Killer. Its scientific name is 2022 AP7.
Question-1: What are meteorites or asteroids?
Answer: Asteroids are rocks revolving around the sun like planets. Although they are much smaller than the planets. These are also called planetoids or minor planets. Asteroids are sometimes bound by the gravity of the planets to become their moons and start orbiting them. Like some of Jupiter's moons.
According to the American space agency NASA, asteroids were formed during the formation of our solar system. Their size is so small that there is very little gravity on them. For this reason, neither their shape is round, nor is there any atmosphere on them. No two asteroids are alike. Till now millions of asteroids have been detected, whose size ranges from hundreds of kilometers to a few meters.
Question 2: Why are they so dangerous for the earth?
Answer: Not all asteroids are dangerous for the earth because not all these asteroids are on the way to earth. According to scientists, there are about 30,000 asteroids of different sizes around the Earth.
Of these, there are more than 850 asteroids with a diameter of more than one kilometer. These are all called Near Earth Objects. None of these is expected to hit the Earth in the next 100 years. In such a situation, if suddenly such an asteroid is discovered, then it will be dangerous according to its size.
Question 3: Have you hit the earth before?
Answer: Most of the asteroids are very small and they are destroyed by their friction as soon as they hit the earth and we do not even know about them. But there are some such that many big pits have been formed due to their fall.
It is believed that millions of years ago, dinosaurs were destroyed from the earth due to the collision of asteroids, that is, asteroids. That is, due to the collision of a massive asteroid, giant dinosaurs can disappear, then a second collision can also destroy life on Earth.
Maharashtra: Lonar lake formed due to a falling asteroid
A 490-feet deep crater was formed in the Buldhana district of Maharashtra due to the fall of an asteroid 5.70 lakh years ago. It is known as Lonar Crater. It is spread over an area of 1.13 square kilometers. Now a lake has been formed here which is called Lonar Lake.
Russia: 80 million trees were destroyed in Tunguska
On June 30, 1908, in Tunguska, Siberia, an asteroid burned up before hitting Earth. Because of this, a fireball of about 100 meters was formed. Eight crore trees were destroyed due to their grip.
Russia: In Chelyabinsk, 1 lakh windows were shattered by the shock wave of the asteroid
On 15 February 2013, an asteroid collided in Chelyabinsk, Russia. However, it was destroyed 24 kilometers from the Earth. As large as a 5-story building (about 60 meters), this steroid produced a shock wave as large as a 550-kiloton explosion. During this, the glasses in one lakh windows were broken. More than a thousand people were injured during this. Whereas the atomic bomb dropped by the US in Hiroshima, Japan was 15 kilotons. That is, the asteroid that hit Chelyabinsk was 36 times more powerful than Hiroshima.
Question-4: Which asteroid has now been discovered by scientists?
Answer: A team of scientists from many countries has discovered 3 asteroids hidden behind the sun. One of these is Planet Killer. It is in that region of space where the sun shines very brightly. For this reason, it is difficult to see anything there.
This planet-killer asteroid was seen with the help of hi-tech equipment used for the study of dark matter in the Victor M Blanco telescope of the Latin American country of Chile. To see this, scientists used to get only 2 to 10 minutes every day at sunset. Only during this time, the sunlight was very light.
The American research group NOIRLab, which operates several observatories, said that this asteroid is the largest rocky object discovered in the last 8 years, which is quite dangerous. The research was published in The Astronomical Journal on 31 October.
Question-5: Why is the new asteroid called Planet Killer?
Answer: Scott Shepard, a space scientist at the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington, is the principal author of this research. Shepard says that the path of 2022 AP7 passes through Earth's orbit, which makes it a dangerous killer asteroid.
Question-6: Is this asteroid going to hit the earth?
Answer: Scott Shepard says that the danger of hitting the Earth will remain for the next century. As such, it is likely to collide by the next century. But Shepard says that the gravity of many planets can upset the game and change the course of such asteroids. As such, long-term security cannot be guaranteed.
Question 7: What would happen if it collided with the earth?
Answer: Astronaut Scott Shepard says that if this asteroid collides with the Earth, then it will have disastrous consequences. Shepard explains that due to the collision of the asteroid, there will be so much dust that sunlight will not reach the earth. Gradually the earth will become so cold that it will be difficult to survive.
Question 8: Can an asteroid be prevented from hitting the earth?
Answer: Yes. If we detect an asteroid in advance, then we can get some time to avoid it. To avoid such an asteroid, a spacecraft can be sent toward it, which collides with it and ends up in space itself. Or change its course. If time is short, a bomb can also be thrown at this asteroid.
At the end of September 2022, as an experiment, NASA hit an asteroid with its vehicle DART i.e. Double Asteroid Redirection Test. This collision was named Planetary Defense Test. Through this, scientists wanted to test how the path of asteroids that could be a threat to the Earth could be changed in the future. The experiment was largely successful.
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