Scientists say that a near-Earth asteroid called 1950 DA defies the laws of gravity and friction. Further research of the asteroid may help astronomers divert any asteroid that may potentially hit Earth.
Asteroids have passed by and also hit the Earth in the past and will continue to in the future as well. An asteroid collision may have drastic implications on humans. The United Nations has also set up a Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) in 1959 and one of the aims of the committee is to find more information about outer space and taking relevant measure to combat any potential asteroid threat to the planet.
The researchers at the University of Tennessee claim to have made a remarkable discovery, which may deflect asteroids from colliding with the Earth.
The scientists observed the 1950 DA asteroid, which was first discovered in 1950 by Carl A. Wirtanen at Lick Observatory, and found that it defies the laws of physics, which has never been detected on any other asteroid.
Scientists suggest that asteroids are usually made of loose masses of rubble, which are held together by friction and gravity. The researchers say that the 1950 DA is spinning so fast that it is defying the laws of friction and gravity. The scientists also examined the thermal images as well as the orbital drift of the asteroid to find its bulk density and thermal inertia.
"We found that 1950 DA is rotating faster than the breakup limit for its density," says Ben Rozitis, an astronomer at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. "So if just gravity were holding this rubble pile together, as is generally assumed, it would fly apart. Therefore, interparticle cohesive forces must be holding it together."
In Feb. 2013, Chelyabinsk meteor, a near-Earth asteroid, entered the Earth's atmosphere over the Russian city of Chelyabinsk at 60 times the speed of sound. It exploded at around 100 kilometers over the Earth and emitted light even brighter than the Sun. The near-Earth asteroid went undetected when it entered the Earth's atmosphere and created a panic amongst residents.
The Chelyabinsk meteor collision left more than 1,500 people injured and damaged over 7,200 buildings in the region. The incident was covered by media across the world and it sent out a message that the Earth is not immune to asteroid collisions.
Researchers suggest that the findings of the latest study can prove significant to deflect potential asteroid collisions on Earth such as the Chelyabinsk meteor.
