Asteroid passing through Earth could now impact satellites when they return in 2029

• An asteroid called Apophis, named after the ancient Egyptian god of chaos, will fly close to Earth on Friday evening.
• The space rock is over 1,100 feet wide – wider than the height of the Eiffel Tower.
• When Apophis returns in 2029, its trajectory could cross high altitude satellites in Earth orbit.
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An asteroid nearly four football fields wide is about to zoom in close to Earth.

The space rock is named 99942 Apophis, named after the ancient Egyptian god of chaos. It is wider than the Eiffel Tower is tall: about 340 meters.

At 8:15 p.m. ET on Friday evening, the asteroid will be within 10.4 million miles of the Earth’s surface. This is about 44 times the distance between Earth and the Moon. But Apophis’ next close flyby on April 13, 2029 will bring the asteroid within 19,000 miles of Earth – that’s between our planet and the moon. It will be the closest of any Apophis-sized asteroid that has come to Earth’s surface that scientists know in advance, according to NASA.

This future approach will even be close enough for the asteroid to collide with high-altitude communications satellites orbiting Earth.

The animation below shows how far Apophis will be from Earth in eight years. Blue dots represent orbiting satellites and the International Space Station is pink.

Preparing for the return of Apophis

Apophis will not be visible to the naked eye tonight – you would need a telescope at least a foot in diameter to see it. But the Virtual Telescope Project in Rome offers an online viewing session at 7 p.m. ET.

The discovery of the asteroid made waves in 2004, as astronomers calculated at the time that there was a small chance that it could hit the planet in 2029. NASA scientists have since revised this estimate. .

“We have known for some time that an impact with Earth is not possible during the close approach of 2029,” Dave Tholen, researcher at the University of Hawaii Institute of Astronomy, said in October. who helped to discover Apophis.

Whenever an asteroid approaches Earth, it’s a chance for astronomers to study space rock and learn more about its shape and rotation.

When scientists first spotted Apophis in June 2004, they only had two days to inspect it before meteorological and technical issues arose. No image exists of the rock surface. So this impending near pass, along with that of 2029, will help scientists study the composition of Apophis.

“Apophis’ close approach in 2029 will be an incredible opportunity for science,” said Marina Brozović, radar researcher at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 2019. “We will be observing the asteroid with optical and radar telescopes. With radar observations we may be able to see surface details that are only a few feet away. “

During this 2029 flyby, Apophis will be visible to the naked eye, appearing as a rapidly moving point of light that begins in the night sky above the southern hemisphere and travels across the globe from east to Where is.

The NASA animation below shows Apophis’ path on April 13, 2029.

Apophis has a 1 in 380,000 chance of hitting Earth in 2068

Apophis originated in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. So far, NASA knows that it is made up of silicate rocks, nickel, and iron. Radar images suggest it looks like a peanut.

After 2029, Apophis will have more near Earth encounters, returning to 2036 and 2068. There is no chance of an impact in 2036, but NASA calculations suggest a one in 380,000 chance that Apophis could strike in 2068.

Until last year, astronomers thought it was impossible for Apophis to strike Earth in 2068, but that changed after Tholen’s team presented new research at the American’s annual meeting. Astronomical Society. The group showed that the asteroid changes speed and direction over time.

NASA

These changes come from a process known as Yarkovsky acceleration: When asteroids absorb energy from the sun, they radiate energy in the form of heat, which changes their orbital paths slightly.

Recent research has revealed that this happens to Apophis.

The asteroid’s orbit is moving about 558 feet per year, Tholen said – which is “enough to keep the 2068 impact scenario in play.”