The asteroid Apophis will pass close to Earth in 2029. Here’s why...

The asteroid Apophis will pass close to Earth in 2029. Here’s why this is a good thing

Posted on January 6, 2022 By Wormwood ProphecyComments Off

The asteroid Apophis will pass close to Earth in 2029. Here’s why this is a good thing

Earth’s gravity and Sun’s radiation can change its surface.

by Paula Ferreira January 5, 2022

The asteroid 99942 Apophis, first discovered in 2004, caused a bit of a panic and was briefly considered a risk-impact object. In 2021, the risk was ruled out by new observations — although the asteroid will pass close to Earth, it won’t cause any real problems. But it could give us a good chance to study it.

In a study conducted by astronomers from the Orbital Dynamics Group from the Universidade Estadual de São Paulo (UNESP), Brazil, and from the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid in Spain, researchers suggest that Apophis’ 20209 fly-by offer a learning opportunity, enabling researchers to get an unprecedented view of what’s happening on the asteroid’s surface.

This animation depicts the orbital trajectory of asteroid 99942 Apophis as it zooms safely past Earth on April 13, 2029. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech.

The distance between us and Apophis is currently about 38,000 kilometers, as tracked by the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)’s Horizons — about 10 times closer than the Moon is to the Earth. The asteroid’s estimated size is about 340 meters wide, thanks to observations from the Arecibo Observatory data, but its size is not completely clear.

In the present study, the team simulated what they believe is the approximate size and shape of Apophis to understand what happens in it. It turns out, Apophis is in trouble: the Earth and the Sun are a threat to small particles around the rock because of gravity and the pressure caused by the Sun’s radiation.

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https://www.zmescience.com/science/asteroid-apophis-flyby-learning-05012021/