The infamous asteroid 99942 Apophis ‘God of Chaos’ has been in the headlines for the last few months. It has captured everyone’s attention due to its probability of hitting the Earth in 2029. But there’s no need to panic, as asteroid Apophis won’t hit Earth in 2029.
But it will pass closer to Earth at a distance of 31,600 kilometres on April 13, 2029, which will be the closest approach of an asteroid ever recorded. During its closest approach in 2029, the asteroid will be visible to the naked eye from the continents of Asia, Africa, and Europe.
This event will play a crucial role as it will help scientists study Apophis and understand its origin and other properties. It also presents an opportunity for astrophotographers to capture it from the Earth.
Further study of the asteroid and its orbital path pointed towards the possibility of it hitting Earth in 2036 and 2069. Still, after some more calculations by NASA, this possibility has been ruled out, and NASA has said that asteroid Apophis won’t hit the Earth for at least a century.
NASA’s telescopes, such as the Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE), play a crucial role in monitoring these Near Earth Objects (NEOs) to keep our planet safe.
However, a recent study by Canadian astronomer Paul Wiegert indicates that the asteroid’s trajectory could unexpectedly change in a dramatic turn of events even if a “small object” crashes into it. This possibility of change in Aphophi’s trajectory and possible impact in April 2029 has experts worried.
Is Apophis a planet killer?
Apophis has alarmed scientists due to its unpredictable orbit and approach toward the Earth. But now that NASA has ruled out the possibility of the Apophis impacting Earth for at least a century, we can say that Apophis is not a planet killer. This rules out the asteroid’s impact in 2029 and 2036.
What would happen if Apophis hit Earth?
As researched by the Planetary Society, if Apophis impacts Earth, it would cause huge destruction around its impact site for several kilometres. The energy released from this impact would be equal to 1000 megatons of TNT and hundreds of nuclear weapons.
Discovery of asteroid Apophis
The asteroid 99942 Apophis’ was discovered by Roy Tucker, David Tholen, and Fabrizio Bernardi at the Kitt Peak National Observatory in Tucson, Arizona, in 2004.
At the time when it was discovered, Apophis was considered the most hazardous asteroid that could impact Earth. But this was later proved wrong when astronomers observed its orbital path in a more detailed manner.
The observations made in March 2021 helped astronomers to profoundly study the orbital dynamics of this asteroid and to conclude that Apophis won’t hit Earth for at least a century.
Structure and Formation
Apophis is a stony asteroid made up of silicate rocks and a mixture of metallic iron and nickel. The radar images of Apophis show that it is bilobed and looks somewhat like a ‘Peanut’. Like other asteroids, it is also a remnant of the early solar system and originates from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
Dimensions and Details
Here’s a video animation that shows the orbital trajectory of Apophis:
Apophis is a near-Earth asteroid. It is about 1100 feet (340 meters) in diameter. It takes about 30.4 hours for it to complete one rotation and 324 days to complete one solar orbit.
On April 13, 2029, it will pass at a distance of 37,399 kilometres from the earth’s surface, which is just above the orbits of the geosynchronous satellites; thus, it is raising alarms as a little deflection in the asteroid’s path can cause it to collide with satellites or even impact Earth.
As per recent orbital studies, the asteroid will be visible to the naked eye to people from the eastern hemisphere.
Where does the name ‘Apophis’ comes from?
Looking at its orbital trajectory and the threat it poses to the Earth, the asteroid was named ‘Apophis’, which is a Greek name for ‘Apep’, who was an evil serpent destructor and an enemy of the Egyptian sun god ‘Ra’.
Future missions dedicated to studying Apophis
NASA has already started working on a mission to study Apophis. NASA has redirected the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft that previously studied the asteroid Bennu to study Apophis during its closest approach in April 2029.
This spacecraft is now renamed from OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security-Regolith Explorer) to OSIRIS-APEX (OSIRIS Apophis Explorer).
The OSIRIS-APEX spacecraft will study the surface properties and other characteristics of Apophis during its closest approach to the Earth for 18 months by flying with the asteroid.
