Produced by: Manoj Kumar
Asteroids capable of breaching Earth’s atmosphere hide within the sun’s glare, posing a “blind spot” threat that astronomers are racing to reveal.
Asteroids like Aten, orbiting close to the sun, cross Earth’s path yet remain invisible in daylight, Carnegie scientist Scott Sheppard warns. These hidden objects may bring catastrophic impact risks.
While small asteroids burn up in the atmosphere, larger ones could cause city-level destruction or worse, with some even classified as “planet killers.”
The 2013 Chelyabinsk meteor explosion over Russia, unseen until impact, reminded scientists that even smaller space rocks can cause widespread damage.
Infrared space telescopes can detect the thermal glow of asteroids hidden in the sun’s light, like “glowing coals,” says planetary scientist Amy Mainzer.
Upcoming telescopes, NASA’s NEO Surveyor (2027) and ESA’s NEOMIR (2030), aim to scan near-sun asteroids using infrared tech, filling critical gaps in current defenses.
With a week’s notice, NEOMIR could detect Chelyabinsk-sized meteors, giving impact zones time to shelter or evacuate, per ESA’s Luca Conversi.
Larger asteroids need years to deflect, but are easier to spot; NEOMIR and NEO Surveyor will catch most planet-threatening objects long before collision risks arise.
Until NEO Surveyor and NEOMIR launch, astronomers must rely on ground-based telescopes and continued monitoring to manage the remaining near-sun asteroid risks.