The 300-meter-sized asteroid ‘Apophis’ could hit Earth in 2068

New York: Astronomers have revealed that the large asteroid called “Apophis” is expected to pass extremely close or could hit Earth in 2068 due to a phenomenon called the Yarkovsky effect.

Researchers from the University of Hawaii’s Institute of Astronomy (IfA) in the United States have announced the detection of the Yarkovsky acceleration on the near-Earth asteroid Apophis.

This acceleration results from an extremely weak force on an object due to uneven thermal radiation.

This force is particularly important for the asteroid Apophis, as it affects the likelihood of an impact on Earth in 2068, the astronomers said.

“All asteroids must reactivate the energy they absorb from sunlight as heat to maintain thermal equilibrium, a process that slightly changes the asteroid’s orbit,” they wrote.

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Prior to the detection of Yarkovsky’s acceleration on Apophis, astronomers had concluded that a potential impact with Earth in 2068 was impossible.

Detection of this effect acting on Apophis means that the 2068 impact scenario is still a possibility.

Apophis is notable for its extremely close approach to Earth on April 13, 2029, when the 300-meter asteroid will become visible to the naked eye as it passes within the belt of communications satellites orbiting Earth.

The new observations we got with the Subaru telescope earlier this year were good enough to reveal Apophis’ Yarkovsky acceleration.

It shows that the asteroid is moving away from a purely gravitational orbit of around 170 meters per year, which is enough to keep the 2068 impact scenario in play.

Further observations are underway to refine the magnitude of the Yarkovksy effect and how it affects Apophis’ orbit.

Astronomers will know well before 2068 if there is any possibility of impact.

Their study was presented at the 2020 virtual meeting of the American Astronomical Society’s Division for Planetary Sciences.

In early August, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk also predicted that the huge asteroid Apophis will eventually strike humanity and there will be no way out.

“Great name! I wouldn’t worry about this one in particular, but eventually a big stone will hit the Earth and we currently have no defense,” he wrote on the social media platform.

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