Astronomers have made an exciting discovery of a large number of new asteroids located in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter. This finding was reported in a study published on December 9, 2024, in the scientific journal Nature. The researchers used old images from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to identify these asteroids.
Some of the newly discovered asteroids are on orbits that could eventually bring them close to Earth. They range in size from a small bus to as big as several stadiums. Although these asteroids are smaller than the one that is thought to have caused the extinction of the dinosaurs, they could still be dangerous if they were to collide with our planet. For reference, a small asteroid that exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia, about ten years ago released energy equivalent to 30 Hiroshima bombs.
The breakthrough in finding these asteroids was made possible by a special method used by Julien de Wit, an Associate Professor of Planetary Science at MIT, and his team. They looked at data collected by the JWST, which had initially been focused on a completely different target, the TRAPPIST-1 star system. Their efforts led to the discovery of 138 new asteroids, six of which seem to have been affected by the gravity of nearby planets, potentially bringing them closer to Earth in the future.
De Wit described the large number of discoveries as a sign of a "new population regime" of asteroids. The JWST’s ability to detect heat rather than just visible light played a key role in this discovery, as it allowed the scientists to see the asteroids more clearly. Artem Burdanov, a research scientist at MIT, stressed the importance of using advanced technology to revisit old data for potentially groundbreaking findings.
Looking ahead, scientists expect that ongoing observations with the JWST and other telescopes, like the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, will help uncover thousands more small asteroids. This will greatly enhance our understanding of these space rocks and improve our abilities to monitor and defend against any potential threats they may pose to Earth.
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