In Egyptian mythology, the evil and immortal serpent Apophis He fought every night with the gods Ra and Set, with the aim of “eating” the sun and causing chaos in the universe. It's an annoying name to give an asteroid, but the fact is that, for a few years, It had approximately a 3% chance of hitting the ground. In its next step, we will be able to see it with the naked eye.
Apophis It is an asteroid, Aten, classified as a near-Earth object. Its diameter is 340 meters and it crosses Earth's orbit twice a year. But it only happens every few years.
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The last time was in 2021, and the next time will be on April 13, 2029. It will become An asteroid of this size that will pass near EarthSince astronomers have been tracking them.
The asteroid Apophis is moving at a speed of 29 thousand kilometers per hour. It has a diameter of 340 metres, and if it hits a city it will completely destroy it, causing millions of deaths.
An asteroid that we will see with the naked eye
The problem with Apophis is that it passes too close to Earth Our planet's gravity pulls it slightly, changing its orbit. In 2004, some astronomers calculated that the possibility Hit the ground In 2029, it was 2.70%, which is a very high percentage. 3 in 100 chance.
More precise calculations were made in 2006, and the effect in 2029 was excluded. But it is estimated that the chances in 2026 will be 1 in 45,000.
After its new passage in 2013, when NASA analyzed its orbit in depth, it ruled out that it would collide with Earth in the years 2029 and 2036. In 2068, it will be 1 in 150,000.
On April 13, 2029, it will come closer to Earth than ever before, at a distance of only 32 thousand kilometers.. It is only three times larger than the diameter of the Earth, and ten times less than the distance to the Moon. And you can see how close it is in this video:
As we can see, it passes closer than some satellites (in blue). Despite this distance of 32 thousand kilometers, it is very large It can be seen with the naked eye, without a telescope or binoculars..
There are so many giant asteroids crossing Earth's orbit, and they change their orbit so often due to the attraction of moons, planets and the sun, that scientists often have to recalculate their chances of colliding.
currently, It is unlikely that the asteroid Apophis will end up colliding with Earth, at least within the next 100 years. But you should never trust an immortal and evil snake, who wants to eat the sun and spread chaos in the universe…
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