Earth temporarily escaped Apophis

The asteroid Apophis is thought to be in danger of having a slight impact on our planet by 2068. Recently, however, radar observations have ruled out that possibility, at least for the next 100 years.

People in the Eastern Hemisphere can observe Apophis without binoculars by 2029. Exclude from the risk Asteroid 99942 Apophis was discovered in 2004. Apophis was quickly identified as one of the most dangerous asteroids that can impact Earth. However, that impact rating changed as astronomers tracked Apophis and its orbit. Now, results from a new radar observation campaign combined with accurate orbital analysis have helped astronomers conclude that Apophis poses no risk of impacting our planet in the least. at most a century. About 340 meters across, Apophis is quickly known to be an asteroid that could pose a serious threat to Earth. At that time, astronomers predicted that this asteroid would come close to Earth by 2029. Thanks to additional observations of a near-Earth object (NEO), the risk of impact by 2029 has since been eliminated. The scientists then also ruled out the potential impact risk posed by another close approach in 2036. However, a small chance of impact by 2068 is thought to still exist. When Apophis moved away from Earth on March 5, astronomers had an opportunity to use the radar observations vigorously. As a result, it helps refine estimates of the orbits of asteroids around the Sun with extremely high accuracy. Thus, scientists can confidently eliminate all risks of collision by 2068 and much later. “An impact in 2068 is no longer in NASA,” said Davide Farnocchia of the Center for Near-Earth Objects Research (CNEOS) managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California (USA). possibilities could happen again. Our calculations do not show any risk of impact for at least the next 100 years ”. Mr. Farnocchia mentioned the Sentry Risk Impact Table. Maintained by CNEOS, this table holds information about some asteroids whose orbits bring them so close to Earth that the impact cannot be ruled out. With recent findings, the Risk Impact Table no longer includes Apophis. Optical telescopes and ground radars help characterize every orbit of objects near Earth. As a result, scientists can improve long-term risk assessment. CNEOS calculated a high-precision orbit to support NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office. Apophis is no longer a threat to Earth. Opportunity to “follow” Apophis Apophis is the size of three soccer fields, weighing 27 million tons. If it collided with Earth, it would cause an explosion that was equivalent to 880 million tons of TNT. This power could destroy a country of mid-size. Its impact with the Earth will be 65,000 times stronger than the atomic bomb that once fell on the city of Hiroshima, Japan. The impact hole it left could be 518m deep. To achieve new Apophis calculations, astronomers used 70 m radio antennas at the Deep Space Network’s Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex near Barstow, California. As a result, they were able to accurately track Apophis’ movements. “Apophis used to be close to Earth, but it still has nearly 10.6 million miles (17 million km) to go. Despite this, we were able to obtain extremely accurate information about the distance of Apophis with an accuracy of about 150 m. This campaign helps us eliminate the impact of risk and a great scientific opportunity, ”said JPL scientist Marina Brozovic – who led the radar campaign. Goldstone also partnered with the 100-meter-long Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia to allow Apophis to be photographed. Goldstone transmits while Green Bank receives – experiment that doubles the strength of the received signal. Although the Apophis radar image appears in pixels, the image has a resolution of 38.75 m per pixel. This is a remarkable resolution, considering whether the asteroid is 17 million kilometers away, or about 44 times the Earth-Moon distance. As the radar team analyzes more data, they also hope to learn more about the asteroid’s shape. Previous radar observations have shown that Apophis has a “double layer”, or peanut-like appearance. This is a relatively common shape among asteroids near Earth that are greater than 660 feet (200 m) in diameter. Astronomers are also working to better understand Apophis’ rotation speed and the asteroid axis orbit. On April 13, 2029, the Apophis asteroids will cross less than 20 thousand miles (32 thousand kilometers) from the surface to closer to Earth than the distance of geotechnical asynchronous satellites. On that close 2029 approach, terrestrial observers in the Eastern hemisphere could witness Apophis without the aid of a telescope or binoculars. This is also an unprecedented opportunity for astronomers to get a close-up look at a monument in the Solar System. In particular, now, Apophis is just a scientific curiosity, instead of a danger to our planet. “When I first started learning about asteroids after college, Apophis was a malformed child among dangerous asteroids,” said Mr. Farnocchia. There is a certain sense of satisfaction to see it removed from the list of risks. We are looking forward to knowledge that we can explore in its up-close by 2029 ”.