Radhika Lakhani and Vaidehi Vekariya , two 10th grade schoolgirls from Surat , India , have discovered a young asteroid . The object is currently dubbed HLV2514 and has been separate as anear - Earth object(NEO ) , the class of cosmic bodies that can get perilously close to our planet . But do n’t concern , this asteroid is not carry to get anywhere near nigh to our planet for a very long clip .
The asteroid is part of theAmor asteroids . These objects ' closest distance to the Sun is larger than Earth ’s furthest power point from the Sun , and most of these objects spend much of their time in orbits nigher to Mars than Earth so do not cross our satellite ’s range . What ’s interesting about HLV2514 is that it will eventually move closer in about a million years .
The two students were lick on data from the Pan - STARRS telescope in Hawaii as part of an outreach project get up by SPACE India along with the International Astronomical Search Collaboration ( IASC ) , a NASA - consort citizen scientist grouping . Lakhani and Vekariya looked through many image collect by the scope , take what may look like a Near - Earth object ; a chore that much easier pronounce than done .
" We start the project in June and we broadcast back our depth psychology a few weeks ago to NASA . On July 23 , they sent us an e-mail confirm that we had identify a near - Earth physical object , " Vekariya , who is 15 years quondam , told CNN .
“ We had tagged around 20 objects of which this one proved prosperous . We have given it a random name at present and we may get an chance to name the asteroid once its orbit is confirmed by NASA . It may , however , take a few years ’ time , ” the two budding scientists told theTimes of India .
The object was confirm by IASC manager Dr Patrick Miller in an electronic mail to SPACE , saying : “ In the last effort , your team reported HLV2514 as a unexampled asteroid . It is , in fact , a near - ground object ( NEO ) . This NEO is near the planet Mars , and over time ( ~10 ^ 6 years ) will evolve into an Earth - crossing asteroid . Mars - crossing asteroid are call Amors . ground - cut across asteroids are called Apollos . congratulation ! ! "
The exertion to notice near - Earth asteroids and comets is very important . The immense absolute majority of bodies that could be considered as universe - end have been class , but there are still many dangerous ones to be found .
[ H / T : CNN , Times of India ]
