Massive Apophis Asteroid Heading Toward Earth Collision?
Within the next five years, a massive asteroid known as Apophis is expected to come near to Earth.
In the past, scientists thought that would mean a catastrophic collision and the planet's end. But now, as 99942 Apophis skims past Earth, scientists will examine it to try to strengthen our defenses against more massive meteorites.
The Rapid Apophis Mission for Security and Safety (Ramses), which will send a spacecraft to an asteroid to collect data on its size, shape, mass, and motion through space, has received funding from the European Space Agency (ESA) for the initial phases of development.
On Friday, April 13, 2029, the mission will also seek to determine the composition and internal structure of Apophis, as well as its orbit and how the rock changes when it passes within 20,000 miles of Earth, or around one-tenth of the distance from the moon.
No asteroid is predicted to pass this close for a few thousand years, according to Dr. Holger Krag, head of Esa's space safety program office, who told the Guardian that the flyby the asteroid performs with Earth is "absolutely unique." "You ought to be able to see it with your unaided eyes if the sky is clear."
Compared to satellites used for weather forecasting, TV broadcasting, and navigation, Apophis will pass past Earth more closely. Krag stated that the rock would start interacting with our planet when it got to that point.
He explained, "It's the Earth's gravitational field that will essentially slightly reshape the asteroid, causing it to change its form," and that landslides might result from the asteroid's gravitational attraction.
Scientists believe that the data that Ramses will provide will help them better comprehend the asteroid and the risks that it and others like it may pose to humanity.
"We want to characterize asteroids so that one day we can swap them when they become dangerous. That's our goal in planetary defense, not to do science on asteroids," he told the Guardian.
In the event that Earth and the asteroid Apophis collided, what would happen?
Apophis, which was identified as having the potential to strike Earth in 2029, 2036, or 2068, was for a period the most deadly asteroid known to science when it was discovered in 2004.
It could tear out a chunk of the Earth several kilometers wide and devastate a few countries with shock waves, flash heating, and tremors if an asteroid the size of the Eiffel tower collided with Earth.
It might cause a tsunami that could completely destroy coasts in multiple nations if it fell into the ocean.
But as scientists learned more about Apophis' orbit over time, they came to realize that there was far less chance of an impact than first believed. It is now anticipated that Earth will be safe when the asteroid passes by in 2029.
