09-02-11 Russian scientists confirms path asteroid ApophisA recent report by Russian scientists says that an asteroid discovered in 2004 known as 99942 Apophis will hit the earth on April 13,2036 and basically release the force of 65 atomic bombs while unleashing 800 tsunamis,you know Armageddon,Doomsday! NASA said back in 2004 that 99942 Apophis could hit earth in 2029.NASA then revised its numbers and calculations and said never mind.Now,Russian scientists are offering up the new date,April 13,2036 and saying Apophis will hit earth.Apophis is a 900 foot long asteroid and should it impact earth,the results would be pretty darn bad.So,who you gonna believe, NASA or the Russians? NASA does acknowledge that what the Russians say could happen,but is far from likely.So what are the odds? 1 in 250,000 says NASA.Which is better than your chances of winning the lottery.Ria Novosti,the Russian News Agency,reports,"Apophis will approach Earth at a distance of 37,000-38,000 kilometers on April 13,2029.Its likely collision with Earth may occur on April 13, 2036," Professor Leonid Sokolov of the St.Petersburg State University said.Sokolov also says that Apophis would likely disintegrate into much smaller parts before hitting terra firma and you know,killing everything everywhere."Our task is to consider various alternatives and develop scenarios and plans of action depending on the results of further observations of Apophis," Sokolov said.So,what are those plans of action? The most simple option would be to crash a spacecraft into the asteroid.This happened in 2005 when Deep Impact was used to divert the comet Tempel 1.Either way,scientists will learn more when 99942 Apophis passes very close to the earth on April 13,2029.The asteroid will pass just 18,000 feet above earth,which is closer than satellites."At closest approach,the asteroid will shine like a 3rd magnitude star,visible to the unaided eye from Africa,Europe and Asia--even through city lights," says Jon Giorgini of Jet Propulsion Laboratories.This is rare.Objects this size coming so close to earth are believed to occur at 1,000 year intervals on average. |
