Will the world end? Massive asteroid ‘Apophis’, equal to the size of 3 football fields, could hit Earth in 2068

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New Delhi: If you thought 2020 was bad, wait until 2068 when a huge asteroid could potentially wipe out all of humanity! Yes, astronomers have revealed that an asteroid named “Apophis” is expected to pass extremely close to or touch Earth in 2068 due to a phenomenon called the Yarkovsky effect. Interestingly, the asteroid is named after the Egyptian god of Chaos and Evil. Also Read – Fridge-Size Asteroid Could Hit Earth Night Before US Election, Neil DeGrasse Tyson Warns

Researchers at the University of Hawaii’s Institute of Astronomy (IfA) have announced the detection of Yarkovsky’s acceleration on the near-Earth asteroid Apophis. This acceleration results from an extremely small force on an object due to non-uniform thermal radiation. Also Read – Asteroid Alert: Space Rock “ Bigger Than Boeing-747 Jet ” To Collide With Earth Orbit On October 7

Discovered in 2004, asteroid Apophis is an asteroid 1,120 feet wide (340 meters wide), about the size of three and a half football fields, NASA said. Also read – ‘We are not at risk’: Elon Musk says he and his family will not be vaccinated against the coronavirus

Previously, it was believed that the asteroid would pass by leaving the earth unscathed, but astronomers are not certain now. Detection of the Yarkovsky effect acting on Apophis means that the 2068 impact scenario is still a possibility.

This force is particularly important for the asteroid Apophis, as it affects the likelihood of an impact on Earth in 2068, astronomers said.

“All asteroids need to reradier as heat the energy they absorb from sunlight in order to maintain thermal equilibrium, a process which slightly alters the asteroid’s orbit,” they wrote. .

Apophis is notable for its extremely close approach to Earth on April 13, 2029, when the 300-meter asteroid will become visible to the naked eye as it passes through the belt of communications satellites orbiting Earth.

Previously, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk also predicted that the huge asteroid Apophis would eventually hit humanity and there would be no way out.

“Great name! I wouldn’t worry about this one, but eventually a big boulder will hit Earth and we currently have no defense,” he wrote on the social media platform.



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