It's heartening to see an organized response to an existence-threatening event like an asteroid strike. "By observing Apophis during its 2029 flyby, we will gain important scientific knowledge that could one day be used for planetary defense." "Apophis is a representative of about 2,000 currently known Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs)," Paul Chodas, director of CNEOS, said in a statement. But its close approach is not only a scientific curiosity: it's a chance to fine-tune our preparedness and response to a real asteroid strike. Scientists will get a close look at it and will try to learn something about its size, composition, and surface features.Īpophis was first discovered in 2004, and it has a less than 1 in 100,000 chance of striking our planet. It'll soar over Australia and the Atlantic Ocean before travelling over the west coast of North America by evening. "We already know that the close encounter with Earth will change Apophis' orbit, but our models also show the close approach could change the way this asteroid spins, and it is possible that there will be some surface changes, like small avalanches," Davide Farnocchia, an astronomer at JPL's Center for Near Earth Objects Studies (CNEOS), said in the same statement.įor a short time, Apophis will be visible with the naked eye. With radar observations, we might be able to see surface details that are only a few meters in size." "We'll observe the asteroid with both optical and radar telescopes. "The Apophis close approach in 2029 will be an incredible opportunity for science," Marina Brozovi, a radar scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, said in a statement. Depending on where you live, you might even be able to see it. When it comes to the real asteroid, Apophis, we don't actually have much to worry about, even though it will likely come closer to Earth than some of our satellites.Īpophis is actually a great scientific opportunity to study an asteroid up close and personal. The asteroids size is constrained and its potential impact sites are narrowed down. In the current hypothetical scenario, daily press releases announce the growing odds of the asteroid striking Earth. The consortium is called the International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN) and includes NASA, the ESA, the CNSA (China National Space Administration) and a variety of other observatories and institutions around the world. There's an international consortium of space and science agencies organizing humanity's response to an incoming asteroid. Earth impact could release 100-800 megatonnes of energy #PlanetaryDefense #ExerciseOnly /guFUzxm9NO Size estimate has been narrowed to 140-260 metres Chance of impact has dramatically increased to 1 in 10 And though Apophis has a much lower chance of striking Earth than the fictional 2019PDC, it's a good opportunity to raise our asteroid preparedness game for the eventual approach of an Earth-striking asteroid. Like the hypothetical 2019PDC, Apophis will also make its closest approach to Earth in April, 2029. But in this case, a massive chunk of rock is standing in for the serpent. The hypothetical 2019PDC asteroid bears a striking resemblance to an actual asteroid that is heading Earth's way, with the hand-wringing name of Apophis.Īpophis is the ancient Egyptian God of Chaos who was usually represented by a serpent. Shouldn't we prepare ourselves and mount some kind of defense? We should, and we are. Asteroids have struck Earth in the past, with devastating consequences, and it's a certainty that more will strike Earth.
Though it's tempting to be a little humorous about the whole thing, at the heart of it is serious science. The ESA is using the 2019 Planetary Defense Conference in Washington from April 29th to May 3rd as a platform for their hypothetical exercise. Follow the progress of fictional asteroid #2019PDC and the response on the ground, over the next few days of the #PlanetaryDefense Conference #FictionalEvent?☄️ And you can follow the action on Twitter.Ī hypothetical asteroid has been 'discovered', and worryingly looks set to impact Earth. In their hypothetical scenario, 2019 PDC has a 1 in 10 chance of striking Earth in 2029.
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