Rubin Observatory has already found its biggest batch of asteroids yet, even before its main survey starts, and scientists say this is just the beginning.
Researchers at the NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory have reported a huge set of asteroid discoveries to the Minor Planet Center. This includes hundreds of faraway objects beyond Neptune and 33 newly found near-Earth asteroids.
In total, they discovered more than 11,000 new asteroids. They also tracked over 80,000 known ones, including some that had been “lost” because their paths weren’t clear enough to predict where they’d go.
When Rubin begins full operations, it could find nearly 90,000 more near-Earth objects. Some of these may be dangerous. The observatory is expected to greatly increase the number of known large asteroids and help scientists detect and track threats earlier.
Why it matters:
This will improve our ability to spot potentially dangerous asteroids early and better protect Earth.
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