Thanks to the James Webb telescope, the smallest asteroids were found between Mars and Jupiter

Thanks to the James Webb telescope, the smallest asteroids were found between Mars and Jupiter

Kyiv  •  UNN

 • 16714 views

The James Webb Space Telescope has discovered a 10-meter asteroid in the belt between Mars and Jupiter. This is the smallest object found at such a distance, which opens up new opportunities for protecting the Earth.

The James Webb Space Telescope accidentally discovered a small asteroid drifting between Mars and Jupiter. Previously, it was unknown. This is reported by  Space.com, writes UNN.

We were able to detect near-Earth asteroids up to 10 meters in size when they were very close to Earth,

- said planetary scientist Artem Burdanov from the Massachusetts Institute of technology in the United States.

Details

It is noted that before that "in the asteroid belt" between Mars and Jupiter, at a distance of 180 million kilometers (the place where most small asteroids begin their path to Earth), the smallest object that astronomers were able to notice was about a kilometer wide.

Now Burdanov and his colleagues have discovered "only" a 10-meter asteroid in the area.

Now we have a way to detect these small asteroids when they are much further away (from Planet Earth – Ed.), and we can conduct more accurate orbital tracking, which is key to protecting the planet

- noted planetary scientist.

James Webb Telescope reveals hidden galaxies in the Spiderweb protoclusterDec 4 2024, 02:39 PM • 16424 views