<ul><li>New observations have found that the Apophis or ‘God of Chaos’ asteroid, which is the size of three football fields, is speeding up due to the Yarkovsky effect.</li><li>This is when the asteroid heats up in a non-uniform way, leading to the release of heat exerting a thrust that can alter the asteroid’s direction or speed it up.</li><li>The discovery of the Yarkovsky effect means that there’s still a possibility that the <keyword id="8002264" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="apophis-asteroid">Apophis asteroid</keyword> may hit Earth in 2068.</li></ul>The Apophis asteroid — named after the God of Chaos — is getting pushed around by sunlight and getting faster as it heads towards Earth. According to the researchers at the University of Hawaiʻi Institute for Astronomy (<a href="https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2020/10/26/new-massive-asteroid-findings/">IfA</a>), it is under the influence of the Yarkovsky effect. <div type="image" title="apophis discovery" msid="78896065" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Image of Asteroid Apophis when it was first discovered on 14 June 2004&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> This is when the asteroid speeds up because its thermal radiation is no longer uniform. Simply put, some parts of the asteroid are heating up faster than other parts. Before the detection of this effect, Apophis — which is the size of three football fields — was likely to fly past Earth in 2068. However, the impact of the Yarkovsky acceleration means that the there is still a possibility that the massive asteroid may crash into the planet when it rolls around in another 50 years. The potential impact would be the equivalent of 880 million tons of trinitrotoluene (TNT) exploding simultaneously. This would make it 65,000 times more destructive than the Hiroshima nuclear disaster. What is the Yarkovsky effect? The Yarkovsky effect makes it difficult to make long term predictions about how an asteroid will move over long periods. <div type="image" title="YarkovskyEffect_NRAO_300dpi_large" msid="78896106" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Diagram explaining the Yarkovsky effect&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> It happens where sunlight heats up the dayside of the asteroid, and after the asteroid turns, the night side releases the heat. That release can exert a small thrust, which can result in a change of direction. It can also accelerate or decelerate the asteroids current speed. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) most recent endeavour to collect a sample from Asteroid Bennu is one of the ongoing initiatives to understand the influence of the Yarkovsky effect. The Apophis asteroid could hit Earth "The new observations we obtained with the Subaru telescope earlier this year were good enough to reveal the Yarkovsky acceleration of Apophis, and they show that the asteroid is drifting away from a purely gravitational orbit by about 170 meters per year, which is enough to keep the 2068 impact scenario in play," said <a href="https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2020/10/26/new-massive-asteroid-findings/">Dave Tholen</a>, co-author of the paper presented at the 2020 virtual meeting of the Division for Planetary Sciences of the American Astronomical Society. It’s not uncommon for small asteroids between the size of 5 to 10 meters to pass by Earth, but asteroids the size of Apophis are rare. Not only are they fewer in number, but don’t normally come this close to Earth. Before 2068 rolls around, Apophis is scheduled to visit Earth even sooner on April 13, 2029. The massive 340-meter asteroid will be visible streaking across Earth’s skies without the aid of a telescope or binoculars. <div type="image" title="apophis" msid="78895938" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;NASA animation shows the distance between the Apophis asteroid and Earth at the time of the asteroid&amp;#39;s closest approach. The blue dots are the many man-made satellites that orbit our planet, and the pink represents the International Space Station.&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> According to NASA, even this close encounter <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/elon-musk-says-we-have-no-defence-against-asteroid-god-of-chaos/articleshow/70748251.cms">may have an impact on Apophis</a>. Since it will only be 30,000 kilometers from the planet — Earth’s gravitational field may impact the way the asteroid spins or result in a change on its surface. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/ufologist-claims-the-god-of-chaos-asteroid-will-strike-somewhere-over-europe/articleshow/71537022.cms">Ufologist Michael Horn</a> claims if Apophis were, in fact, to crash into Earth, the impact point would be somewhere over Europe. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/china-launches-three-new-spy-satellites-amid-border-dispute-with-india-and-tensions-in-the-south-china-sea/articleshow/78886330.cms">China launches three new spy satellites amid border dispute with India and tensions in the South China Sea</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/kotak-mahindra-bank-share-price-jumps-after-earning-reports-and-possible-msci-inclusion/articleshow/78887434.cms">Kotak Mahindra Bank surges 10% on earnings upgrades and potential MSCI inclusion</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/hcl-tech-is-looking-to-expand-operations-in-canada-if-h-1b-visa-issues-persist/articleshow/78884838.cms">EXCLUSIVE: HCL Tech is expanding operations in Canada as H-1B visa issues persist</a>

Apophis, the ‘God of Chaos’ asteroid is speeding up — increasing the likelihood of it hitting Earth in 2068

<ul><li>New observations have been able to determine that the ‘God of Chaos’ asteroid Apophis won’t be crashing into Earth for at least another 100 years. </li><li>This officially rules out all doomsday predictions of Apophis breaching the Earth’s atmosphere in 2029, 2036 and in 2068. </li><li>The asteroid is as big as three football fields and the resulting impact, if it were to crash into Earth, would be equivalent to 880 million tonnes of TNT exploding.</li></ul>The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has determined that the ‘God of Chaos’ asteroid Apophis won’t be crashing into Earth for at least a century. Many in the scientific community believe that it’s only a matter of time before a massive asteroid hits Earth. “A big rock will hit Earth eventually and we currently have no defence,” said billionaire <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/elon-musk-says-we-have-no-defence-against-asteroid-god-of-chaos/articleshow/70748251.cms">Elon Musk</a>, commenting on the Apophis asteroid. <div type="javascript" title="Custom" contenttype="Video"><cdata><![CDATA[<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hjJIyZKbHqc" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>]]></cdata></div> While that may still be a possibility, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has at least narrowed down the possibility that the ‘big rock to hit Earth’ won’t be Apophis — not in 2029, 2036 or even 2068. “A 2068 impact is not in the realm of possibility anymore, and our calculations don’t show any impact risk for at least the next 100 years,” said Davide Farnocchai of NASA’s Centre for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS). <div type="image" title="apophis_edited" msid="81719242" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Apophis won&amp;#39;t be crashing into Earth for at least a century&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> What would happen if Apophis crashed into Earth? It’s not uncommon for small asteroids between the size of five to ten metres to pose a threat as they make their close approach to Earth, but asteroids the size of Apophis — as big as three football fields — are rare. The potential impact would be the equivalent of 880 million tonnes of trinitrotoluene (TNT) exploding simultaneously. This would make it 65,000 times more destructive than the Hiroshima nuclear disaster. <div type="image" title="asteroid gif" msid="81719274" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The animation depicts a mapping of the positions of known near-Earth objects (NEOs) at points in time over the past 20 years, and finishes with a map of all known asteroids as of January 2018&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Eliminating the doomsday prediction Apophis was determined to be <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/apophis-the-god-of-chaos-asteroid-is-speeding-up-increasing-the-likelihood-of-it-hitting-earth-in-2068/articleshow/78895818.cms">under the influence of the Yarkovsky effect</a> in October 2020, by the University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy. Simply put, it meant Apophis was getting pushed around by sunlight and speeding up in approach towards Earth. This made its orbit difficult to predict, increasing the likelihood of it crashing into Earth in 2068. In order to figure out whether the threat of a collision was real, JPL’s researchers decided to conduct a detailed analysis — using a new radar observation campaign coupled with a precise orbit analysis — of Apophis when the massive asteroid made a distant flyby of Earth on March 5. Tracking the asteroid with Deep Space Network’s 70-metre radio antenna and the 100-metre Green Bank Telescope, the scientists were able to capture Apophis on camera. <div type="image" title="Screenshot (695)_edited" msid="81719181" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;These images of asteroid Apophis were recorded by radio antennas at the Deep Space Network’s Goldstone complex in California and the Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> The images may appear pixelated, but considering that the asteroid was 17 million kilometres away — more than 44 times the distance between the Earth and the Moon — it’s an incredible accomplishment. “If we had binoculars as powerful as this radar, we would be able to sit in Los Angeles and read a dinner menu at a restaurant in New York.” said JPL scientist Marina Brozovic, who led the radar campaign. Using these images, not only did JPL rule out the possibility of Apophis hitting Earth in 2068 but it was also able to determine that the asteroid has a ‘bilobed’ or peanut-like appearance. According to NASA, this is a relatively common shape for big space rocks — larger than 200 metres in diameter — that fly by the planet. At least one in every six asteroids has two lobes.

‘God of Chaos’ asteroid Apophis won’t be crashing into Earth for at least another century

<ul><li>US President Donald Trump’s new ‘minibus’ fiscal spending bill for 2020 allots $35.6 million to the National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA) to keep asteroids from hitting Earth. </li><li>The Near-Earth Object Surveillance Mission (NEOSM) will send a telescope attached to an infrared camera into space to make <keyword id="8495160" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="asteroid-detection">asteroid detection</keyword> more efficient. </li><li>Data from NEOSM will also help scientists determine which near-Earth objects are possible targets for robotic or human exploration. </li></ul>The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) isn’t the only space agency tracking space objects. But it’s the only one to poised to receive $35.6 million to ensure that asteroids don’t destroy Earth. Asteroids <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/asteroid-hitting-earth-and-ending-life-has-to-be-bigger-than-the-one-that-killed-dinosaurs/articleshow/70893317.cms">aren’t on the top of risk list of threats</a> that can end human existence. Yet, many experts believe that even if they aren’t ‘dinosaur destroying’, a potential asteroid impact could have <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/asteroid-hitting-earth-and-ending-life-has-to-be-bigger-than-the-one-that-killed-dinosaurs/articleshow/70893317.cms">long-lasting effects on the planet</a>. 
	<div type="image" title="neo3_edited" msid="72996686" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Artist&amp;#39;s representation of what NASA&amp;#39;s Near-Earth Object Surveillance Mission (NEOSM)&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>

 US President Donald Trump’s ‘minibus’ fiscal spending bill — which provides NASA with a budget of $22.63 billion in all — will allow the agency to develop its Near-Earth Object Surveillance Mission (NEOSM). Unlike the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/asteroid-hitting-earth-and-ending-life-has-to-be-bigger-than-the-one-that-killed-dinosaurs/articleshow/70893317.cms">Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART)</a>, NEOSM won’t actually be capable of destroying any incoming asteroids. But, if successful, it will be the first line of defence able to track and discover any NEOs hanging nearby. Where can you find the asteroids? NEOSM will fly a small space telescope into space along with an infrared camera. The aim is to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/the-10-biggest-asteroids-that-could-crash-into-earth-this-year/articleshow/70686096.cms">identify an asteroid or near-earth objects</a> that are at least 140 meters in diameter — big enough to inflict damage on a regional or a global scale. Currently, most asteroids are detected using cameras on a wide field of view telescopes — and most of them on-ground. NASA's 8-year old wide-filed infrared survey explorer (WISE) telescope has used a similar approach to find at least 230 new near-earth objects. 
	<div type="image" title="neo_edited" msid="72996721" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Artist&amp;#39;s representation of what NASA&amp;#39;s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE)&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>

 If a new object is detected, orbit intersection calculations are carried by independent systems like NASA’s Sentry or the European Space Agency’s NEODyS. They carry out observations of the trajectory, speed and distance to determine whether or not the space rock is ‘<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/a-potentially-hazardous-asteroid-will-whiz-past-earth-at-49000-km/hr-on-friday/articleshow/70988766.cms">potentially hazardous</a>’. While $35.6 million may seem like more than enough money to accomplish the requisite goal, NASA had originally asked for $150 million for <keyword id="8055800" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="planetary-defence">planetary defence</keyword>. Asteroids aren’t going to hit Earth — why are we looking for them? There are ten of thousands of asteroids in space. Whether it’s an interstellar visitor like <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/the-bizarre-interstellar-object-oumuamua-that-flew-through-our-solar-system-was-almost-definitely-not-aliens-a-new-study-says/amp_articleshow/70048274.cms">Oumuamua</a>, or Apophis — the ‘<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/elon-musk-says-we-have-no-defence-against-asteroid-god-of-chaos/articleshow/70748251.cms">God of Chaos</a>’ asteroid — the main goal is to identify more than a million asteroids. Earth is privy to last-minute visitors like <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/a-city-killer-asteroid-got-scarily-close-to-earth-yesterday-and-astronomers-didnt-know-about-it-until-it-was-just-days-away/articleshow/70404032.cms">asteroid 2019 OK</a> in July 2019. 
	<div type="image" title="neo2_edited" msid="72996729" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Artist&amp;#39;s representation of what NASA&amp;#39;s Near-Earth Object Surveillance Mission (NEOSM)&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>

 In addition to spotting unwanted visitors before they get to the planet, the NEOSM will also track asteroid trajectories. In case, a ‘potentially hazardous’ space rock changes direction due to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/an-asteroid-nearly-half-the-size-of-mount-everest-might-be-on-a-collision-course-for-earth-in-less-than-a-year/articleshow/70698774.cms">gravitational keyhole or the Yarkovsky effect</a> — NEOSM should be able to track the change. In the future, NASA also hopes that the NEOSM will deliver data accurate enough to determine which near-earth objects are ideal for human or robotic exploration. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/research/news/not-an-asteroid-but-massive-volcanic-eruptions-in-india-might-have-set-off-mass-extinction-66-million-years-ago/articleshow/72831792.cms">Not an asteroid but massive volcanic eruptions in India might have set off mass extinction 66 million years ago</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/elon-musk-says-we-have-no-defence-against-asteroid-god-of-chaos/articleshow/70748251.cms">Elon Musk says we have no defence against asteroid ‘God of Chaos'</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/what-happens-when-an-asteroid-actually-hits-earth/articleshow/70732006.cms">What happens when an asteroid actually hits Earth</a>

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Apophis, the ‘God of Chaos’ asteroid is speeding up — increasing the likelihood of it hitting Earth in 2068

Prabhjote Gill

‘God of Chaos’ asteroid Apophis won’t be crashing into Earth for at least another century

Prabhjote Gill

NASA gets $35 million to make sure asteroids don't destroy Earth

Prabhjote Gill