Earlier this week, Alaska’s High-Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) antenna array sent a series of long-wave radio signals to a passing asteroid just two months away from Earth. It is believed that the signal penetrates the asteroid, giving scientists an idea of its internal structure, and providing them with another piece of information important to one day protecting the planet from a collision.
Most asteroid observation programs here on Earth rely on visual studies of asteroids, such as those provided by NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) from observatories around the world, or those provided by NASA’s Deep Space Network. Use any of the shortwave radio frequencies, including Map the size, position and path of asteroids. These programs provide invaluable data on potential hazards from asteroid impacts, but are limited in that they can only “see” the surface of the asteroid.
HAARP, operated by the University of Alaska Fairbanks, has traditionally been used to perform analyzes of our ionosphere (and has been implicated in several conspiracy theories). It also has the ability to transmit long wavelength radio signals. Such a signal can penetrate the object, allowing an observer to grasp the internal structure of the object. In this case, learning about the internal structure of asteroids could give scientists a way to one day blast or deflect space rocks that get too close to Earth for comfort.
The target is asteroid 2010 XC15, about 500 feet (152 m) across, small by asteroid standards. It is currently passing the Earth at twice the distance from the Earth to the Moon, which is twice the distance from the Earth to the Moon.
The HAARP experiment participates in other asteroid research efforts, including NASA’s DART mission, which slammed a spacecraft into an asteroid in September, and the OSIRIS-REx mission, which grabbed a fingernailful of dirt from asteroid Bennu in 2020. increase.
While no one expects asteroids to cause trouble for Earth anytime soon, astronomers have predicted that an asteroid known as Apophis will pass Earth at a distance of about 20,000 miles (32,187 km) on April 13, 2029. I’m paying attention to , which is closer than many of the satellites currently orbiting the Earth. is not considered a threat.
Data from the HAARP observations will be analyzed over the next few weeks, and the researchers hope to publish their findings in the coming months.
Source: University of Alaska Fairbanks
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