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An asteroid named Apophis, after the ancient Egyptian god of chaos, is reportedly picking up speed as it makes its way towards Earth. But don’t worry, we’re still safe. Currently.
Asteroid Apophis: what you need to know
No overflight in 2020
Experts and researchers with a shrewd sense of humor are wondering why Apophis won’t show up in 2020. The year has been a train wreck so far and the impact of an asteroid would have been a nice ending to the season.
Rest assured, even if the asteroid is accelerating, it won’t reach our wood neck for a few more years. This means that you still have time to get your affairs in order.
Researchers at the University of Hawaii Institute of Astronomy first discovered the asteroid in 2004. They have since followed it and initially predicted it will pass close to Earth in 2068.
Even then, their calculations showed that Apophis will have no impact on Earth, but would simply say hello as it flies past our little blue planet. Well, it has changed.
The “Yarkovsky effect”
New research has confirmed that Apophis is picking up speed and “could wreak havoc” when it finally catches up with us. In other words, Apophis won’t say hello as he passes by, he may stop for tea.
And by stopping for tea, we mean there is a high probability that Apophis will impact Earth. The action of increasing speed as you approach is known as the “Yarkovsky effect”.
According to Dave Tholen, a member of the University of Hawaii team, this means that some parts of the asteroid are heating up faster than others. Tholen explains:
“The new observations […] were good enough to reveal Apophis’ Yarkovsky acceleration, and show that the asteroid is moving away from a purely gravitational orbit of around 170 meters per year, which is enough to keep the impact scenario in play. of 2068 “.
He added that “the hottest hemisphere [of the asteroid] it would push slightly more than the colder hemisphere, and this will cause the asteroid to move away from what is a purely gravitational orbit ”.
Prevention is better than cure
On the contrary, Apophis will also visit us before 2029. Scientists are optimistic about the previous flyby, saying it is an opportunity for astronomers to find more information on Apophis.
That said, it is still likely that during the close encounter of 2029, Apophis would have passed through a gravitational keyhole. This would have a future impact exactly seven years later, Friday April 13, 2036.
According to the researcher Mete Sohtaoğlu, Apophis could on the impact “publication the same equivalent as if 880 million tons of TNT had exploded “.
Scientists’ discoveries, nine years from now, could provide us with the data we need to prepare for a possible future impact, not only from Apophis but also from the myriad of other asteroids out there. Happy Mag summed it up succinctly:
“Apophis, the god of chaos, could ironically hold the key to preventing chaos from these potentially dangerous asteroids. Take this, Egyptian mythology ”.
Asteroids that could potentially impact Earth
One of the first visitors on NASA’s “Sentry: Earth Impact Monitoring” – Asteroid 2009 JF1 – was discovered more than ten years ago. It measures only 12 meters in diameter and will fly or hit Earth in 2022.
Another tiny asteroid, known as 2018 VP1, is expected to arrive sometime between 2020 and 2025. The largest asteroid on the list is not expected to come into contact with Earth until the year 2880.
That lord of a space rock is called 29075 (1950 DA), and it’s nearly three times the size of the Empire State Building; about 1.3 kilometers in diameter. It could cause significant damage if it hits Earth.
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