starrylizard: Headshot of Ruby from Demons smiling (T - supahstar (Rodney))
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Apophis!

([personal profile] starrylizard Jan. 10th, 2013 08:39 pm)
The Stargate fan in me was tickled pink to learn that Apophis the Asteroid passed by close to Earth today! Ha! Cool!

This time, Apophis, named after an Egyptian god of destruction, was no closer than around 15 million kilometres.

In 2029, Apophis is expected to come uncomfortably close, brushing past the Earth at a distance of just 30,000 kilometres. That will put the asteroid inside the orbit of communication satellites.

Current models predict a small but real possibility that Apophis will strike the Earth in 2036 - but only if the space rock passes through a small "slingshot" region in space when it crosses our orbit in 2029.


Carry on, as you were.
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lark_ascends: Blue and purple dragonfly, green background (Default)

From: [personal profile] lark_ascends


2036 is now not an issue - the information they got this week on this orbit has cleared it as being any possibility. And we have enough info to predict for decades now. So not going to be a problem.

(Also, it wasn't over-exaggerating - we get more info, then we refine orbits and find that the tiny possibility of hitting Earth has reduced to zero. It's how that sort of science works)
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