WILL APOPHIS HIT EARTH? FAQS ANSWERED
Image: Pixabay
27 March 2024
Asteroid Apophis is making waves on social media over claims that it might hit Earth in 2029
Image: Unsplash
But American space agency NASA has confirmed that it is not going to happen
Image: Unsplash
It had a small chance of hitting Earth in 2036, but additional observations have shown it will not hit Earth in 2029 or in 2036
Image: Pixabay
Apophis is a peanut-shaped asteroid about 1,100 feet (or 340 metres) in width
Image: Pixabay
The near-Earth object will pass close to Earth - within 31,860 km from our planet's surface - on April 13, 2029
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This will be the closest approach to Earth by an asteroid of this size, even closer than our geosynchronous satellites
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Social media is abuzz with question like what would happen if Apophis hit Earth? If that happens, there will be widespread destruction
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The energy released would be equal more than 1,000 megatons of TNT, or tens to hundreds of nuclear weapons
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The asteroid that led to the extinction of the dinosaurs was much larger than Apophis
Image: Pixabay
Apophis will be visible to observers on the ground in the Eastern Hemisphere without the aid of a telescope or binoculars
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It was discovered on June 19, 2004, by astronomers Roy Tucker, David Tholen, and Fabrizio Bernardi in Arizona
Image: Pixabay
NASA is planning a mission to Apophis when it comes close to Earth to study the asteroid in detail
Image: Unsplash
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Image: Pixabay
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