Scientists confirm that the asteroid Apophis will hit Earth in

 

The asteroid (99942) Apophis has been a subject of great concern since its discovery in 2004, especially after NASA calculated the impact at its closest approach to Earth on August 13, 2029, at 2.7% .

But quite possibly due to the unrest caused, the  US space agency  was forced to rule out the possibility of Apophis hitting Earth in 2029.

But in 2011 alarm bells rang again as Russian scientists said  Apophis (the Egyptian god of chaos)  would collide with Earth on April 13, 2036.

Even NASA has acknowledged that technically there is a chance that Apophis will impact in 2036, although they downplay it by saying that this chance is only 1 in 250,000. As we can see, not even the scientific community agrees on the date of the impact, and while humanity does not know if we could be a few years away from a truly apocalyptic event.

And as if that wasn't enough, we must now add a new date for the Chaos God's impact…

The impact of Apophis

The possible path of the asteroid Apophis

Researchers at the  University of Hawaii  have warned that Apophis could hit Earth in 2068.

In the study, researchers noted that the 340-meter-diameter asteroid is accelerating due to “non-uniform thermal radiation.”

All asteroids radiate energy from sunlight in the form of heat to maintain a constant temperature. In the process, this slightly alters the asteroid's orbit.

And the way Apophis is doing this indicates that it could accelerate enough to collide with Earth in 2068.

But as we discussed earlier, this won't be the first time the asteroid has come dangerously close to our planet. On April 13, 2029, the God of Chaos will be so close to Earth that it will be visible to the naked eye.

We have known for some time that an impact with Earth is not possible during the 2029 approach,”

said  Dave Tholen , who led the study.

The new observations we obtained with the Subaru telescope earlier this year were good enough to reveal the  Yarkovsky acceleration  of Apophis and show that the asteroid is moving away from a purely gravitational orbit at about 170 meters per year, which is just enough to keep the 2068 impact scenario in check.”

During its 2029 flyby, NASA will closely monitor Apophis…

The approach of Apophis in 2029 will be an incredible opportunity for science”,

said  Marina Brozović , a radar scientist at  NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory .

We will observe the asteroid with both optical and radar telescopes. With radar observations, we may be able to see surface details just a few meters across.”

If it turns out that Apophis could hit Earth in 2068, NASA will be forced to speed up missions to avoid the collision.

One of the suggested techniques for deflecting an asteroid includes nuclear fusion weapons that are fired over the surface to slightly alter the asteroid’s velocity without breaking it apart,”

continued to explain scientist Brozović.

The high-speed neutrons from the explosion would irradiate a layer of material on the asteroid's surface in the aftermath of the explosion.

The material in this surface layer would expand and fly away, thus producing an indentation in the asteroid itself.

A very modest change in the speed of the asteroid's movement (just a few millimeters per second), acting over several years, can cause the asteroid to completely lose its path to Earth.

However, the trick is to gently nudge the asteroid out of harm's way and not blow it up. The latter option, while popular in movies, only creates a bigger problem when all the fragments come crashing down on Earth.

But if none of this works, if it succeeds, it will cause great destruction to our planet.

It is estimated that it will enter the atmosphere with kinetic energy of 750 megatons. By comparison, the most powerful hydrogen bomb ever exploded, the Tsar Bomba, had an energy of 57 megatons.

The Tsar Bomb was an RDS-220 bomb, the most powerful nuclear weapon ever detonated. Developed by the Soviet Union, the 58-megaton bomb was codenamed "Ivan" by its developers. The bomb was tested on October 30, 1961, on Novaya Zemlya, an island in the Arctic Ocean.

The amount of destruction to humans or property will depend on the location of the impact, but the consequences will be felt at every point on Earth.

It should also be said that conspiracy theorists do not believe NASA's calculations, and claim that Apophis will destroy Earth in 2029.

They further add that everything is written in the book of Exodus and Revelation…

Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them. The first angel sounded his trumpet, and hail and fire mixed with blood were thrown to the earth; and a third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up. The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea turned into blood. And a third of the creatures in the sea that had life died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.”

As we can see, Apophis continues to give a lot to talk about, especially due to the different dates on which the God of Chaos can impact.

We will have to wait to find out when Apophis will fulfill his revenge against humanity, or perhaps it will be a completely unknown space body that will unleash chaos on our planet.