2023-08-11 11:21:18
A brand new AI algorithm, developed to track potentially dangerous near-Earth asteroids, has successfully detected a 180-meter asteroid approaching Earth.
The asteroid in question, measuring around 600 feet across, has been designated as 2022 SF289. Its trajectory will bring it closer to Earth within 140,000 miles (225,000 kilometers). This distance is shorter than that separating our planet from the moon. This proximity cdismiss this asteroid as potentially dangerous. But it is unlikely to collide with Earth in the near future.
Asteroid Heading for Earth, AI Alerts Scientists
The HelioLinc3D program, responsible for this discovery, was designed to assist the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, under construction in northern Chile, in its next ten-year survey of the night sky. The objective of this artificial intelligence program is to detect space objects near the Earth. Especially asteroids. In other words, it makes it possible to anticipate possible collisions with our planet. This advance also seems to be crucial to alert scientists to the trajectory of asteroids in the direction of a collision.
According to Ari Heinze, a Vera C. Rubin researcher, the detection of 2022 SF289, by demonstrating the effectiveness of the software used by the observatory, strengthens our collective security.
Asteroids are closing in on Earth, should we be worried?
Although tens of millions of space objects roam the solar system, ranging from small asteroids to dwarf planets, the majority reside far from Earth. However, some asteroids, located in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter, have trajectories that bring them closer to our planetsometimes in a worrying way.
Space objects approaching the Earth are called near-Earth objects. Those that pass less than 5 million kilometers from our planet are however considered potentially dangerous. However, this classification does not guarantee an imminent collision. Even in the case of 2022 SF289, no currently known potentially dangerous asteroids. The threat is therefore not confirmed for the next century. Nevertheless, astronomers are carefully monitoring these objects and their trajectories to prevent any collisions using AI.
The recent discovery of 2022 SF289 was made possible by the asteroid hunting algorithm. It was also combined with data from the ATLAS survey conducted in Hawaii. This in order to test its effectiveness before the commissioning of the Rubin observatory. This detection demonstrates HelioLinc3D’s ability to spot asteroids with fewer sightings than traditional methods.
IA : the solution to detect an asteroid and prevent dangers
The Vera Rubin Observatory, equipped with a 27-foot-wide mirror and a 3,200-megapixel camera, plans to explore the night sky twice a night. This will speed up the detection of potentially dangerous objects. Although more than 2,350 potentially dangerous asteroids have been discovered, astronomers remain vigilant. There is still many other threats to discover.
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