Asteroid Apophis, named after the Egyptian god of chaos, is picking up speed with a potential collision with Earth set for 2068.
A 330-metre-wide asteroid, affectionally named Apophis, is picking up speed as it heads towards Earth with a potential impact due on April 12, 2068.
Named after the ancient Egyptian god of chaos, it’s surprising asteroid Apophis didn’t make it to Earth a little earlier for 2020, where this year’s events would be nicely complemented by a meeting with an asteroid of such destruction.
Researchers from the University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy first discovered the asteroid in 2004 and have been tracking it since, determining that it will come close to Earth in 2029.
While the potential impact in 2068 was originally thought impossible, it was discovered earlier this year that Apophis is, of course, picking up speed, and dead set on causing chaos to Planet Earth.
The asteroid is under the ‘Yarkovsky effect’, meaning that some parts of it are heating up faster than others, with a collision in almost 50 years a strong possibility.
Dave Tholen, a team member at the University of Hawaii said, “The new observations… were good enough to reveal the Yarkovsky acceleration of Apophis, and they show that the asteroid is drifting away from a purely gravitational orbit by about 170 metres per year, which is enough to keep the 2068 impact scenario in play.”
Asteroid Apophis has picked up speed towards Earth.
Experts call this Yarkovsky effect.
These finding suggest it could hit Earth on April 12, 2068.
It would release the same equivalent as if 880 million tons of TNT exploded.
📸 pic.twitter.com/uHzGdg1oX3— Mete Sohtaoğlu (@metesohtaoglu) October 29, 2020
Despite Apophis well on its way, scientists are optimistic about the initial flyby, due to come in 2029, with the event an opportunity for astronomers to potentially find out more information about Apophis (and 2,000 other similar asteroids who could also be on their way to Earth).
Apophis, the god of chaos, could ironically be the key to preventing chaos from these potentially hazardous asteroids. Take that, Egyptian mythology.
