Hidden within the sun's glare, astronomers have recently discovered a potentially planet-killing asteroid that could one day impact the Earth.
NASA shared a video taken by its Solar Dynamic Observatory showing dark patches on the sun, giving the illusion of a smile. that could potentially one day hit Earth.
The asteroid, called 2022 AP7, was among three new near-Earth asteroids , hiding in the inner solar system, the region within the orbits of. Astronomers have a particularly tough time finding asteroids in this region because of the intense glare of the sun. Still, they managed to find a trio of NEAs because of the more favorable conditions during a brief window of twilight. Of the three NEAs discovered, 2021 LJ4 and 2021 PH27 have orbits that remain interior to Earth’s orbit.
"Our twilight survey is scouring the area within the orbits of Earth and Venus for asteroids," said Scott S. Sheppard, an astronomer at the
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