A city-killer asteroid could be hurtling towards Earth without being detected, according to a space agency chief. The European Space Agency (ESA) is working on a new planet-defence system that will boost our space vision and help track asteroids.
Last year, scientists warned of the near-miss of asteroid YR4, which threatened to create a huge hole in Earth’s crust. If it hit our planet, it would have packed a punch equivalent to eight billion kilos of TNT.
The problem is that we still can’t search the space between Earth and the Sun because it’s too bright. To address this issue, the ESA is developing a cutting-edge telescope called Neomir that will detect objects using infrared waves. This telescope will launch into orbit around 2032 and act as a sentry for asteroids that can’t be seen from the ground.
The agency has identified around 40,000 near-Earth objects, but there are millions more. Currently, we can only spot about 1% of these objects. The ESA is also developing “bug-eyed” telescopes called Fly Eye to improve detection capabilities. This network of up to four “eyes” spread across the globe will automatically identify objects that could be on an Earth-bound collision course.
Despite advances in technology, there’s still a long way to go before we can identify most asteroids. However, space agency chiefs like Luca Conversi are warning us about the potential threat and urging us to take action.
Source: https://www.the-sun.com/tech/13786255/city-destroying-asteroid-blind-spot-sun