The asteroid Apophis has long been considered one of the greatest threats to the Earth. This 335-meter-diameter asteroid was once calculated to be likely to hit the Earth in 2029 or 2036. However, after years of precise observations of its orbit, astronomers have now determined that Apophis will pass by Earth at a distance of only 37,399 kilometers on April 13, 2029, which also happens to be (Black) Friday. Make sure it won’t hit us.
Benjamin Hyatt of the University of Bath and lead researcher Professor Paul Weigert launched a bold investigation. They calculated the orbits of 1.3 million known asteroids in the solar system to assess whether these space rocks were likely to get closer to Apophis in the coming years and thus send them on a more dangerous path. Thankfully, their results show that the chance of this happening is zero.
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The distance is less than 40,000 kilometers but it is certain that it will not hit the earth.
On Friday, April 13, the asteroid Apophis will pass very close to Earth, at a distance of only 40,000 kilometers. The Earth’s gravity changes its orbit. (Photo/European Space Agency)
Although Apophis will not hit the Earth, scientists will not stop studying it. In fact, there is currently a mission heading to study it: OSIRIS-APEX. This mission was originally named OSIRIS-REx. It has visited the asteroid “Bennu” currently considered the most dangerous and brought back a large number of samples, including ours. Something I’ve never had before.
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Apophis has attracted human attention since its discovery in 2004. Even now that we know it will safely miss Earth, astronomers remain on high alert. Professor Weigert, a member of the Earth and Space Exploration Institute, said: “Apophis is the asteroid we can’t stop paying attention to.”
The research has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Planetary Science and is currently available on the arXiv preprint server. This discovery is not just an astronomical victory, but a major step forward for our safety in space and a deeper understanding of the unknown universe.
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First image source: Shutterstock.com cc By4.0
Image source: European Space Agency cc By4.0
Reference papers:
1.Encounter circumstances of asteroid 99942 Apophis with the catalogue of known asteroidsarXiv
Further reading:
1.A giant asteroid will pass by the Earth the day after tomorrow (February 2)
