An international team of planetary scientists used a dark energy camera at the Inter-American Observatory
Research in this area is particularly difficult,since observations are carried out against the light of the Sun, which significantly limits the capabilities of instruments. The researchers used the short but favorable conditions that occur during twilight.
Artistic illustration of observing an asteroid against the Sun. Image: DOE/FNAL/DECam/CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/J. da Silva/Spaceengine
As a result of observations, they discovered threenew near-Earth asteroids: 2022 AP7, 2021 LJ4 and 2021 PH27. The first of them moves in an orbit, which theoretically in the future may intersect with the earth. The width of this asteroid is about 1.5 km. Objects of this size are called "planet killers" by scientists. Even though the Earth and 2022 AP7 may move closer in the distant future, the threat remains theoretical and will not occur in the coming years.
Researchers note that throughout historyobservations between the orbits of the Earth and Venus, only 25 asteroids were found. This is due to the fact that scientists have only two 10-minute gaps at sunset and dawn to observe in the right direction. New discoveries have been made possible by the unique feature of the dark energy chamber.
It is necessary to capture large areas of the sky, becausethat inner asteroids are rare, but the image needs to be deep because asteroids are dim, and you're struggling with the bright twilight sky near the Sun, as well as the distorting effect of Earth's atmosphere.
Scott S. Sheppard, astronomer at the Carnegie Institute for Science's Earth and Planetary Laboratory, co-discoverer
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