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The asteroid Apophis, nicknamed the “God of Chaos”, will spend Friday on Earth.
Named in honor of the Egyptian deity and scientifically known as 99942 Apophis, the more than 1,000-foot-wide space rock will skate past the blue marble around 8:15 p.m. ET at a distance of approximately 10 million kilometers, according to NASA. .
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The near-Earth object (NEO), made of both rock and metal, will then continue on a path around the sun.
However, while interested spectators can look through their telescopes or using a live feed with images of the asteroid using the Europe-based Virtual Telescope Project at 00:00 UTC, scientists are monitoring the diameter, speed and other factors of Apophis.
They will use a planetary radar – although they no longer have access to the radio telescope at the Arecibo observatory in Puerto Rico – as a kind of sonogram to detect the shape, orbit of the asteroid and whether there is or not rocks on its surface, according to Space.com.
Some believe there is a chance that Earth’s gravity is strong enough to scatter boulders or stretch rock, the site reported.
The asteroid, which was first discovered in 2004, will make another trip near Earth in April 2029. Apophis is expected to be projected from Earth about 30,000 km away, according to the Planetary Society. It is a distance that is about 90% closer to the Earth than to the moon.
However, while researchers initially said there was an almost 3% chance of a collision in 2029, additional data collected over the years showed that it would not hit Earth in 2029 or when it visited. back in 2036.
Also, the odds for its approach in 2068 are low, but Friday will help experts present a clearer prediction of future events.
Last year, University of Hawaii Institute of Astronomy Dave Tholen said in a statement that observations made with the Subaru telescope showed Apophis’ Yarkovsky acceleration – an effect caused by heating solar causing a slight change of orbit – and that the asteroid was drifting. away from a purely gravitational orbit, which was “enough to keep the 2068 impact scenario in play.”
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Still, astronomers aren’t fortune tellers – they won’t be able to read the future of the asteroid over long periods of time without uncertainty.
That said, more than 100 asteroids have moved closer to Earth than the Moon in the past year, KSL.com reported Tuesday.
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