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Remember when 1938's Orson Welles radio program entitled "The War of the Worlds" deceived people into believing that the Earth was being invaded? It was fun.
At present, the ESA (European Space Agency) is trying to fate live-tweet the hypothetical approach of the hypothetical 2019PDC asteroid and the hypothetical planning of a hypothetical response to this potentially destructive asteroid. In their hypothetical scenario, the 2019 PDC has a one in 10 chance of reaching Earth in 2029. You can follow the action on Twitter.
ESA uses the 2019 Planetary Defense Conference in Washington from April 29 to May 3 as a platform for their hypothetical exercise. Although the temptation is a little humorous, science is at the heart of reality. Asteroids have struck Earth in the past, with devastating consequences, and it is certain that others will hit Earth. Should not we be prepared and put up a kind of defense? We should and we are.
The hypothesis of a 2019PDC asteroid has a striking resemblance to a real asteroid moving towards Earth, with the difficult name of Apophis. Apophis is the ancient Egyptian god of Chaos who was usually represented by a snake. But in this case, a huge piece of rock replaces the snake.
As the hypothetical 2019PDC, Apophis will also approach the Earth in April 2029. And although Apophis is far less likely to touch the Earth than the fictional 2019PDC, it's a good opportunity to Improve our level of preparation of asteroids at the final approach of an asteroid striking the Earth.
An international consortium of space and scientific agencies is organizing humanity's response to an incoming asteroid. The consortium calls International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN) and includes NASA, ESA, CNSA (National Space Administration of China) and various other observatories and institutions around the world.
In the current hypothetical scenario, daily press releases announce the increasing chances that the asteroid is hitting the Earth. The size of the asteroids is limited and its potential impact sites are reduced.
As for the real asteroid, Apophis, we do not really have anything to worry about, although it is likely to get closer to Earth from some of our satellites. Apophis is in fact an excellent scientific opportunity to study an asteroid up close and personal. Depending on where you live, you may even be able to see it.
"The close approach of Apophis in 2029 will be an incredible opportunity for science," said Marina Brozovi, a radar scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, in a statement. "We will observe the asteroid with optical and radar telescopes. With radar observations, we might be able to see surface details of just a few meters. "
"We already know that the close encounter with Earth will alter Apophis' orbit, but our models also show that the near approach could change the way this asteroid turns, and it's possible that ## 147 ## 39, there are surface changes, such as small avalanches "Farnocchia, an astronomer from the JPL's Center for Near-Earth Objects Studies (CNEOS), said in the same statement.
Apophis will be visible to the naked eye for a short time. It will fly over Australia and the Atlantic Ocean before crossing the west coast of North America in the evening. Scientists will examine it closely and try to learn something about its size, composition and surface characteristics.
Apophis was discovered for the first time in 2004 and has less than 1 in 100,000 chance of attacking our planet. But his close approach is not only a scientific curiosity: it is a chance to refine our preparation and our response to a real asteroid strike.
"Apophis is a representative of about 2,000 potentially dangerous asteroids currently known," said Paul Chodas, director of CNEOS, in a statement. "By observing Apophis during its 2029 flight, we will gain important scientific knowledge that could one day be used for planetary defense."
It is encouraging to see an organized response to an event threatening its existence, such as an asteroid strike. You can see how organizations around the world can use our communication systems to cooperate and coordinate a response to an event as devastating as an asteroid attack, which could result in massive extinctions and even the end of our civilization.
Too bad we can not do more of the same thing for climate change.
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