Scientists say there is a chance the monster asteroid apophis will hit Earth

Technology

19:09 GMT 15.11.2020(updated 19:11 GMT 15.11.2020) Get a short url

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The celestial body was first spotted in 2004 by astronomers at the Kitt Peak National Observatory in the United States. At the time, scientists predicted that there was a 2.7% chance that the asteroid would collide with Earth in 2036, which was later refuted by astronomers. Then came 2020 with new data …

Scientists say there is a chance that the monster asteroid (99942) Apophis will collide with Earth. The statement was recently made at an American Astronomical Society conference. David Tholen, a University of Hawaii astronomer, said data from the Subaru Telescope revealed that Apophis, named after the Egyptian god of chaos, was showing signs of Yarkovsky acceleration, which according to scientists, potentially put the celestial body on a collision course. with our planet in 2068.

Whether or not humanity is doomed to encounter the gigantic asteroid, which is bigger than the Eiffel Tower, astronomers will be able to say with certainty on Friday the 13th (what a coincidence) 2029, when Apophis will pass our planet at a very distance. close. . According to David Tholen, the asteroid will be visible to the naked eye by this date, flying closer to Earth than some satellites.

After this meeting, astronomers will be able to predict the distance that the asteroid will bring us closer in 2068.

“We will know after this happens exactly where it was on the way past Earth, and that will make it much easier for us to predict your impact scenarios. If it is just passing the right distance from Earth, the gravitational pull The Earth will change orbit just enough for it to come back and strike the Earth in [2068]”Said David Tholen.

NASA had previously said that even if the asteroid survived the journey through Earth’s atmosphere and remained intact when it fell to the planet’s surface, it would cause significant localized damage. However, the space agency stressed that the damage would not be enough to cause a natural disaster.