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An asteroid that has been nicknamed after the Egyptian god of chaos is accelerating, scientists recently revealed.
Scientifically known as 99942 Apophis, the massive 1,120-foot-wide space rock will fly within 23,441 miles above the Earth’s surface on April 13, 2029, as well as in 2036. However, that is the flyby of the space rock in 2068 which could be affected by the slight modification of its previously predicted orbit, due to the Yarkovsky effect, which makes scientists talk.
“We have known for some time that an impact with Earth is not possible during the close approach of 2029,” said one of the study’s authors, the astronomer from the Institute of Astronomy. of the University of Hawaii, Dave Tholen, in a statement. “The new observations we got with the Subaru Telescope earlier this year were good enough to reveal Apophis’ Yarkovsky acceleration, and they show that the asteroid is moving away from a purely gravitational orbit of about 170. meters per year, which is sufficient to keep the 2068 impact scenario in play. “
The asteroid Apophis was discovered on June 19, 2004. (UH / IA)
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Tholen, who has followed Apophis since his team discovered him in 2004, presented the results at the 2020 virtual meeting of the American Astronomical Society’s Division of Planetary Sciences. His comments can be found in this 22 minute video.
The Yarkovsky effect, or Yarkovsky acceleration, is caused by the sun heating the space rock unevenly, resulting in a “process that slightly alters the orbit of the asteroid,” the statement added.
The odds of 99,942 Apophis impacting Earth are still low – previously calculated at around 1 in 150,000 by the Center for Near-Earth Studies – but that’s enough to give scientists a break from concern.
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In 2019, SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that despite the asteroid’s “big name”, he wouldn’t be worried about this “particular” asteroid.
He warned, however, that a “big boulder will strike Earth eventually and we have no defense for it.”
The size and proximity to Earth of 99942 Apophis make it a Near Earth Object (NEO), and in this case, a “potentially dangerous” object.
“Potentially dangerous” near-Earth objects are defined as space objects that are within 0.05 astronomical units and measure over 460 feet in diameter, according to NASA. According to a 2018 report by Planetary.org, there are over 18,000 NEOs.
NASA unveiled a 20-page plan in 2018 that details the steps the United States should take to better prepare for near-Earth objects, such as asteroids and comets that are within 30 million kilometers of the planet. .
A recent study showed that Americans prefer a space program that focuses on potential asteroid impacts rather than sending humans back to the Moon or Mars.
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NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said in April 2019 that an asteroid attack was not to be taken lightly and was perhaps the greatest threat to Earth.
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