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Astronomers have discovered that a large asteroid called Apophis is expected to fly very close to Earth in 2068, or it could be hit by a phenomenon called the Jarkovsky effect. It is a change in the trajectory of a small natural body moving through the solar system due to the delayed emission of photons from the surface of the body on the night side after the surface has been heated by the sun on the day side.
The force acting due to the irregular thermal radiation is particularly important for the asteroid Apophis, as it affects the likelihood of impact on Earth in 2068, the astronomers said. Before detecting Jarkov’s acceleration on Apophis, scientists believed that its impact on Earth in 2068 was impossible. Apophis is known to have approached Earth at an extremely short distance on April 13, 2029.
So this 300-meter asteroid will be visible to the naked eye as it passes through the belt of communications satellites orbiting Earth. It turns out that the asteroid is about 170 meters from a purely gravitational orbit, which is enough to include a scenario of its impact in 2068. Further observations are currently underway to refine the magnitude of the Jarkov effect and the its effect on the orbit. orbit of the asteroid.
Source: weather.com.
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