Asteroid Apophis Could Still Hit Earth in 2068, New Measurements
Suggest
Only a small handful of objects are known to pose a serious threat to
Earth, and the gigantic asteroid Apophis is one of them. Scientists
are now re-evaluating its potential to strike our planet in 48 years,
owing to improved observations of the problematic asteroid.
Observations made earlier this year from the Subaru Telescope in
Hawai'i are providing astronomers with a better sense of how the
Yarkovsky effect is influencing the orbital path of asteroid 99942
Apophis. This effect is like a built-in propulsion system for
asteroids, in which trace amounts of leaking radiation can alter an
object's momentum in space, causing it to drift ever-so-slightly from
the path otherwise chosen by gravity.
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https://gizmodo.com/asteroid-apophis-remains-a-threat-to-hit-earth-in-2068-1845496002>
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