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Many asteroids are floating in space that NASA and other organizations are monitoring. One of those asteroids is the size of the Eiffel Tower and is called Apophis. Scientists recently said they can’t rule out that Apophis may impact Earth in 2068.
Scientists at the University of Hawaii’s Institute of Astronomy have announced that they have discovered a phenomenon called Yarkovsky acceleration on the asteroid. This type of acceleration results from an extremely weak force on an object caused by uneven thermal radiation. It’s a complicated way of saying that sunlight is changing the asteroid’s path over time.
In the past, scientists did not believe that an Earth impact scenario was likely. However, the new observations indicate that the asteroid is moving away from a purely gravitational orbit of around 170 meters per year. That amount of drift is enough to maintain the possibility of an impact with the Earth.
Scientists have been observing Apophis since 2004, and in 2013 scientists announced that the asteroid would not impact Earth in 2036. Fears had previously thought there was a possibility of impact in 2029, but this was ruled out. Interestingly, Apophis will approach earth on Friday, April 13, 2029, at a distance that would make it visible to the naked eye.
When that happens, astronomers will observe the asteroid’s future trajectory and focus on the potential for an impact in 2068. Scientists have long worked on ways to deal with any potentially dangerous asteroid. NASA’s DART mission will crash a spacecraft in the mood of an asteroid to prompt it to see if it could be used to prevent potential impacts in the future. The researchers point out that there is no reason to worry about a potential impact in 2068 right now. They say they will know well before that date if an impact will occur.
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