Yesterday an asteroid with a diameter of about 150 m passed by Earth at two orbital distances of the Moon, the object posed no threat to us, but scientists decided to take a chance and look inside. The results of the experiment have not yet been reported, but if successful, the experience will be repeated for the more dangerous asteroid Apophis, which in 2029 will fly past Earth at a distance of only 32,000 km.

Shorter radio waves are used to detect asteroids, giving an idea of ​​the size of the object and allowing to calculate its velocity and trajectory. But it is desirable to know the composition of the asteroid to indicate the danger. An experiment with NASA’s DART kamikaze probe showed that an asteroid impact can be surprising if this space body is not a monolith of rock, but rather a pile of stones held together by gravity as it turns out in practice. You can try looking inside the asteroid with the help of longer radio waves that can penetrate deep and reflect from its guts.

Yesterday’s experiment was carried out on the basis of the HAARP complex (High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program) in Alaska. During the asteroid 2010 XC15’s maximum approach to Earth, the HAARP antenna beamed it at two-second intervals with a radio signal with a frequency of around 9.6 MHz. The reflected signal was received by the longwave antenna arrays of the University of New Mexico and the Owens Valley Radio Observatory.

We will be able to learn the result after a while after processing the data. In any case, scientists will be better prepared for the meeting with Apophis on April 13, 2029. Previously, it was believed that this asteroid up to 340 m is at risk of colliding with the Earth in 2068, but clarification of its orbit made it possible to exclude at least 100 from the catalog of this dangerous object for the Earth. year. But learning how it is arranged inside is valuable in itself. Source