UrFU scientists received data on seven asteroids to assess the risk of collision with Earth

Scientists at the Ural Federal University have obtained new data on seven asteroids to assess the risk of their collision with the Earth.

According to them, the data obtained make it possible to simulate the entry of asteroids into the atmosphere and assess the consequences of a possible collision with the Earth.

MOSCOW, September 7 – RIA Novosti. New data on seven space objects obtained by UrFU scientists will allow us to assess the risk of asteroid collisions with the Earth. Experts have determined the physical and dynamic parameters of these bodies. The results were published in the journal Icarus.

To assess the danger of near-Earth asteroids, scientists need data on their size, composition, rotation speed and trajectory. However, it is possible to catch such an object in the field of view of telescopes only for a short time - asteroids quickly leave the observation zone.

Researchers from the Ural Federal University named after the first President of Russia B.N. Yeltsin (Ural Federal University) carried out multicolor photometric observations on a telescope, that is, they measured the brightness of seven asteroids in different color ranges.

“By observing an object and determining its coordinates, we can clarify its orbit. By analyzing changes in the brightness of an asteroid in several light filters, we obtain data on its surface composition, rotation period, body shape and axis direction,” explained Eduard Kuznetsov, head of the department of astronomy, geodesy, ecology and environmental monitoring at UrFU.

Scientists have determined the absolute magnitude of the asteroids - from 15.8 to 18.1. Using this indicator, you can estimate the size of objects: in this case, they range from several hundred meters to two kilometers. The periods of axial rotation of these bodies are from 4 to 9 hours, and their shape is elongated.

“All the studied objects are classified as silicate type. As the Ural researchers explained, in the past they were parts of larger bodies where melting and separation of matter occurred. Subsequently, these bodies were destroyed, for example, as a result of collisions,” explained Mikhail Galliulin, a researcher at the Kourovsky Astronomical Observatory of UrFU.

The data obtained, according to scientists, make it possible to simulate the entry of asteroids into the atmosphere and assess the consequences of a possible collision with the Earth.

In the future, the authors of the study plan to continue observations of space objects, including the potentially dangerous asteroid Apophis. According to them, it will approach the Earth on April 13, 2029 at a distance of less than 32 thousand kilometers. The researchers also intend to improve data processing methods for searching for satellites around asteroids, the university press service reported.