Finding and keeping track of all objects around the Earth, and especially asteroids, is not easy. For this, a new algorithm was developed, designed to search for potentially dangerous asteroidswho has already found his first target.
Among 30,000 near-Earth objects (Near Earth ObjectsNEO) unearthed to date, about 2000 of them are rocks of such size and proximity as to be deemed risky in the event of an impact. However, astronomers believe there are just as many left to find, and having identified an asteroid just two days after its approach, we know how important it is to broaden our searches.
This is where the new algorithm comes into play. Known as HelioLinc3D, it has already proved extremely effective, finding an asteroid during its first test. The algorithm was tested with the ATLAS system, which initially did not photograph the space rock, but finally managed to obtain a clear image of it scanning the sky for three consecutive nights.
Asteroid 2022 SF289 is not a threat to Earth; its distance of about 20 million kilometers from us makes an impact unlikely, even during an approach (by the way, what if an asteroid were on a collision course?).
Nonetheless this discovery shows the remarkable capabilities of HelioLinc3D, capable of find extremely soft and not very visible objects. Other observers around the world had failed to see the object, obscured by the starlight of the Milky Way.
Undoubtedly a tool that will come in very handy, and we are only at the beginning. The algorithm will come in the future applied to the Vera C. Rubin Observatoryscheduled to go online in 2025 in Chile. But for now, let’s keep looking upwards.