A 700-meter asteroid, 2025 SC79, evaded detection due to sunlight but was found using advanced imaging, revealing new insights into fast-moving celestial objects.
Asteroid evades sunlight detection
A 700-meter asteroid named 2025 SC79 was discovered after it evaded terrestrial observation due to sunlight. This celestial body, moving at an exceptional speed, offers new perspectives for the study of the Solar System and raises questions about planetary safety.Asteroid detection challenges
Identifying asteroids near Earth represents a major scientific and strategic challenge. While most of them are detected in the night sky, some still escape the vigilance of telescopes, hidden in the glare of the Sun.Discovery in Venus’s orbit
Discovered using the Dark Energy camera installed on the Blanco telescope (NSF) in Chile, this massive asteroid moves within the orbit of Venus. Its orbital period around the Sun—only 128 days—makes it one of the fastest ever observed.Sunlight-obscured region
The asteroid 2025 SC79 was therefore detected in an area that astronomers fear: that masked by the brilliance of the Sun. This region, often nicknamed the twilight zone in astronomy, remains difficult to access for traditional observation.Specialized equipment used
Researcher Scott S. Sheppard, affiliated with the Carnegie Institution for Science, used the Dark Energy Camera installed on the 4-meter Blanco telescope of the National Science Foundation in Chile. This instrument can detect weak light signals in complex conditions, including at dusk.
