The asteroid received the designation 2022 QC7 and is not very large, with a width that ranges between 16 and 36 meters, according to the Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). The NASA.
This small supersonic asteroid is approaching Earth 10 times faster than a bullet , and although it is relatively smaller than many other asteroids, asteroid QC7 is heading towards Earth at a speed of around 9.10 kilometers per second or 32 760 kilometers per hour (it is the equivalent of about 27 times the speed of sound).
NASA has made it clear that asteroid 2022 QC7 has essentially no chance of hitting Earth and is projected to pass at a distance of more than 4.6 million kilometers. Likewise, even if asteroid QC7 were to hit Earth – which it won’t – it wouldn’t have a huge impact on our planet. The only thing it could cause would be a huge explosion at the entrance to the atmosphere. Not much more.
threats
The same would not happen with Bennu, who is potentially more dangerous. In fact, according to a study published in 2021, the chances of this object hitting the planet are greater than initially projected by scientists. The point of maximum risk of collision in a single day will occur on September 24, 2182, a day on which the probability will be 0.037%.
Yes indeed. Yes, we would be concerned at an epic level such as 138971 (2001 CB21) , an asteroid more than a kilometer wide (estimated with a size range between 560 meters and 1.3 kilometers wide), which flew over the Earth at the beginning of March 2022 if its orbit brings it dangerously close to our planet; this one could trigger a global cataclysm.
Let us remember that asteroids that cannot approach Earth more than 0.05 astronomical units (approximately 7,480,000 km) or that are less than 140 meters in diameter are not considered PHAs ( Potentially Hazardous Asteroids ), potentially dangerous asteroids.
dart mission
Do we have any way to prevent an asteroid from hitting Earth? We are working on it.
NASA and other space agencies are focused on changing the direction of asteroids, especially the larger ones, which are likely to hit Earth in the future and can cause great damage. This method is considered to be the least complex and potentially most effective for asteroid deflection.
Thus, currently the most promising of these efforts is NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission, in which a small spacecraft will intentionally collide with an asteroid to see if it might alter its orbit slightly . . Will this technique be effective? We’ll see soon. The DART mission is ready to reach its target, which is none other than the Dimorphos asteroid, on September 26 .
In the future we will also have the Near-Earth Object Surveyor Mission (infrared telescope designed to survey the solar system in search of potentially dangerous asteroids) which has already received authorization from NASA for the preliminary design phase in which the Jet Propulsion Laboratory will lead mission development.
Reference: NASA/JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory), United States. /
