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<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[]]></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

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://www.spacetelescope.org/images/heic1906a/">NASA/ESA/University of Hawaii/European Southern Observatory</a>Asteroid 6478 Gault with two narrow, comet-like tails of debris that suggest the space rock is self-destructing.</div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>A 2.5-mile-wide <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/asteroids" target="_blank" rel="noopener">asteroid</a> called 6478 Gault was discovered in 1988.</li><li>The space rock recently grew two long, bright tails like a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/comets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">comet</a>, which astronomers struggled to explain.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/hubble-space-telescope" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hubble telescope</a> observations helped confirm that the asteroid is spinning quickly.</li><li>A sunlight-based effect called "YORP" may have spun up Gault to a speed at which a pebble hitting it would cause it to eject dirt and dust.</li></ul>In space, no one <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/false-space-facts-misconceptions-2017-7">can hear</a> an asteroid scream. But astronomers just used the Hubble telescope to see one begin to destroy itself.A 2.5-mile-wide asteroid called 6478 Gault was first discovered in 1988, and it seemed like many of the other 800,000 known space rocks.But in October 2018, astronomers saw something strange through their telescopes: Gault had become "active" and sprouted two big, bright tails, much <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/oumuamua-interstellar-space-rock-alien-spaceship-evidence-2019-1">like a comet</a>. Its brightest tail stretched more than 500,000 miles long.Some space rocks that initially look like asteroids are later found to be comets when they pass close to the sun. The boost in solar energy can warm up ice and other frozen compounds hidden under layers of dust, turning those materials into gases and leading the rock to spew out comet debris to form a long, glowing tail.Gault didn't seem to fit the bill, though, since it lurks about 214 million miles away from the sun in a fairly circular orbit between <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mars-outposts-are-doable-but-maybe-not-colonies-2018-5">Mars</a> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jupiter-pictures-nasa-juno-spacecraft-2018-4">Jupiter</a>. In other words, it never swung close to the sun. So scientists wondered if another space rock had collided with Gault, splashing its dusty guts all over space.Now, thanks to multiple observations by NASA and the European Space Agency's Hubble Space Telescope, the mystery appears to be solved: Gault is spinning itself to pieces."This self-destruction event is rare," <a href="https://www.eso.org/~ohainaut/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Olivier Hainaut</a>, an astronomer with the European Southern Observatory, said in <a href="http://hubblesite.org/news_release/news/2019-22" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a press release</a>. "Active and unstable asteroids such as Gault are only now being detected by means of new survey telescopes that scan the entire sky, which means asteroids such as Gault that are misbehaving cannot escape detection any more."Hainaut and his colleagues around the world have submitted <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/journal/0004-637X" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a study</a> about the discovery to Astrophysical Journal Letters, which accepted it for publication in the future.The team determined an odd behavior called the "YORP effect" is to blame for the ongoing demise of Gault, which could vanish<h2>You YORP me right round</h2>The YORP effect is named after four scientists that helped lead to its discovery: Ivan Yarkovsky, John O'Keefe, Vladimir Radzievskii, and Stephen Paddack.The driver of it is sunlight. When we step outside, light from the sun feels warm on our skin, but not like a force powerful enough to physically move us. But in the vacuum of space, things behave differently, since there's no friction, and objects can orbit a star and persist for millions if not billions of years.Even on human-made objects, like a thin reflective sheet, sunlight can generate enough force to propel a vehicle through space. (Scientists are currently exploring how to mimic that effect by <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/breakthrough-starshot-laser-beam-power-2018-12">shooting powerful laser beams at tiny spacecraft</a> to zoom them toward other star systems at a fraction of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-fast-speed-light-travels-earth-moon-mars-nasa-2019-1">light-speed</a>.)The YORP effect describes a phenomenon in which sunlight hits an asteroid unevenly, or part of the rock's surface preferentially absorbs that energy. In that case, the disparity can gradually accelerate a comet's spin. Over time, that can lead the space rock to start spinning so fast that it rips itself apart.That, the researchers figured, could explain why Gault grew tails so far from the sun (see above animation).Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-asteroid-2018-6">Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has an asteroid named after her - here's why</a>The effect is something like a parent swinging a kid around by her arms; once the parent rotates fast enough, the kid will eventually lift off the ground. In the case of Gault, Hubble's images - plus follow-up observations by telescopes on Earth - suggested that the asteroid was spinning about once every two hours. The researchers calculated that this was fast enough to counteract Gault's gravity at the surface, allowing dirt and dust to lift off or tumble.But what caused Gault's sudden outburst and tail formation in late 2018, after untold years of inactivity?"Even a tiny disturbance, like a small impact from a pebble, might have triggered the recent outbursts," <a href="https://uhnai.ifa.hawaii.edu/people/postdocs/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jan Kleyna</a>, an astronomer at the University of Hawaii and the study's lead author, said in <a href="https://www.spacetelescope.org/news/heic1906/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a press release</a>. "It could have been on the brink of instability for 10 million years."Hainaut said the long-term future of Gault is unknown. It might eventually break apart into two big chunks, or the rubble might glue itself back together under its own gravity, forming a newly shaped asteroid."In all cases, this will release a lot of dust, which will be spectacular," Hainaut told Business Insider in an email. "The radiation pressure from the sun will disperse the dust, leaving either the new Gault or the binary/multiple system behind." <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-plans-crash-dart-spacecraft-into-asteroid-2017-7">NASA wants to crash a spacecraft into an asteroid to change its course</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

The Hubble telescope caught an asteroid ripping itself to pieces due to the 'YORP effect'

<ul><li>The Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) predicts that a 4 kilometer wide asteroid is going to fly awfully close to the Earth in 2020. </li><li>The asteroid 1998 OR2 could also get pushed into a collision course directly for Earth because of the Yarkovsky effect and gravitational keyholes. </li><li>The massive asteroid could have devastating effects if it were to fall to Earth. </li></ul>An asteroid that stretches for four kilometers, half the of Mount Everest’s height, could be on a collision for Earth in less than a year. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)’s Center for Near Earth Object Studies (<a href="https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?des=1998%20OR2">CNEOS</a>) estimates that the asteroid, dubbed at 1998 OR2, will be around 6.3 million kilometers from the Earth’s core when it passes by on 29 April 2020. But, there’s a chance that it will be much closer — and even on a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/what-is-asteroid-meteorite-and-meteor/articleshow/70654013.cms">direct collision course</a> with Earth — if there’s any nudge to the asteroid’s current trajectory. What can push the asteroid to Earth? There are two main factors in space that can <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">affect the orbit</a> of an asteroid — one, the Yarkovsky effect and two, a gravitational keyhole. And, both, could either push the asteroid closer to Earth or, if one is lucky, further away. The <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/Astronomers-Are-Planning-Dramatic-Ways-To-Stop-An-Asteroid-Collision/articleshow/21343800.cms">Yarkovsky effect</a>, simply put, is when an asteroid gets pushed around by sunlight. The effect of light hitting an asteroid is minute, but as it happens over a longer period of time — it tends to add up. The shorter the wavelength, the more energy it has and thus the bigger the resulting push. When it comes a gravitational keyhole, on the other hand, the change in an asteroid’s orbit is more immediate. But unlike the Yarkovsky effect, where sunlight is all around, gravitational keyholes only occur in tiny regions of space. If the 1998 OR2 were to pass through a gravitational keyhole — any spot in space where the asteroid’s orbit could get affected by the gravity of a nearby planet — it has the potential to push the asteroid into a direct collision course with Earth. The point of concern is that if the asteroid is to hit Earth, there’s <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/neil-degrasse-tyson-and-other-scientists-believe-asteroids-will-eventually-hit-earth/articleshow/70644547.cms">very little</a> that anyone can do about it. As of now, most space agencies around the world are still working on their <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/astronaut-says-a-neglected-telescope-is-nasas-best-chance-of-defending-earth-from-city-killer-asteroids-for-gods-sake-fund-it/articleshow/66910270.cms">planetary defense strategies.</a> See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/neil-degrasse-tyson-and-other-scientists-believe-asteroids-will-eventually-hit-earth/articleshow/70644547.cms">It might not be 'dinosaur destroying' but it's only a matter of time before an asteroid hits Earth</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/what-is-asteroid-meteorite-and-meteor/articleshow/70654013.cms">An asteroid only turns into a meteor if it falls to Earth</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/an-asteroid-was-supposed-to-hit-earth-in-september-but-astronomers-cant-seem-to-find-it/articleshow/70270747.cms">An asteroid was supposed to hit Earth in September — but astronomers can’t seem to find it</a>

An asteroid nearly half the size of Mount Everest might be on a collision course for Earth in less than a year

<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>

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

<ul><li>In a rare event, two asteroids are going to whiz past Earth within hours of each other. </li><li>They’re not the biggest objects on the Asteroid Watch List but they’re two of the closest asteroids to pass by the planet.</li><li>Asteroid 2019 OU1 will be a mere 1 million kilometers from the Earth’s core as it flies past Earth.</li></ul>Asteroids whiz past Earth on a regular basis but it’s rare to see two of them gunning for the planet on the same day. <a href="https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=2019%20QS">2019 QS</a> will be the first asteroid to make an appearance today and it’s around the same size as Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio De Janeiro or the Japan Tsunamis that stretched to 40 meters high. It will be followed by another asteroid dubbed <a href="https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=2019%20OU1">2019 OU1</a>, which is over twice the size of its partner — making it almost as big as a football field at 98 meters. Both of them are going to flying past Earth within a couple of hours of each other. Neither of these two asteroids are as huge some others which are going to fly past the planet this year. But, they’re still on National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) <a href="https://cneos.jpl.nasa.gov/ca/">Asteroid Watch List</a> of <keyword id="3106647" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="near-earth-objects">Near Earth Objects</keyword> (NEOs) that could pose a risk to the planet. That’s because they’re going to be flying in particularly close. It’s about the distance Most asteroids, regardless of size, are normally at least 3 million kilometers to the Earth’s core as they fly past. But 2019 QS, on the other hand, will come as close as 2 million kilometers. And, 2019 OU1 will be even closer — merely 1 million kilometers away. According to NASA’s Asteroid Watch, any NEO that’s within 7.5 million kilometers of Earth could be ‘potentially hazardous’. When space objects fly this close to the Earth, if external or internal factors were to change their trajectory even to a small degree — they could <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">collide </a>with the planet. The <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/Astronomers-Are-Planning-Dramatic-Ways-To-Stop-An-Asteroid-Collision/articleshow/21343800.cms">Yarkovsky effect</a>, for instance, is the simple result of sunlight pushing an asteroid and changing the way that it rotates. A gravitational keyhole — gravity from other objects or planets in space — is another factor that could cause asteroids to change direction. The bigger the asteroid, the bigger the risk — like the asteroid that nearly <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">half the size of Mount Everest and might be on a collision course for Earth in less than a year.</a> See also: <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> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/what-is-asteroid-meteorite-and-meteor/articleshow/70654013.cms">An asteroid only turns into a meteor if it falls to Earth</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/the-last-major-asteroid-to-hit-earth-destroyed-500-square-kilometers-and-it-could-have-been-much-worse/articleshow/70782507.cms">The last major asteroid to hit Earth destroyed 500 square kilometers — and it could have been much worse</a>

Two asteroids bigger than the Japan tsunamis are coming eerily close to Earth today

<div class="image-container float_right" style="width:400px"><div class="image"></div>Screenshot</div>WORRYING about the threats posed by space rocks has traditionally been the preserve of the paranoid. No one doubts that asteroids have hit Earth in the past, <a href="http://www.universetoday.com/35116/chicxulub-crater/">with</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteor_Crater">nasty</a> <a href="http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2008/30jun_tunguska/">consequences</a>, but because the chances of any such event happening in a given year <a href="http://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2013/02/daily-chart-7">are so low</a>, most people have been content to ignore the risk.
Yesterday, however, a meteorite was seen streaking through the sky above Yekaterinberg in Russia. It hit the ground (possibly landing in a lake) near another city, Chelyablinsk. It is <a href="http://www.nature.com/news/russian-meteor-largest-in-a-century-1.12438">thought</a> to be the biggest meteor to hit Earth in more than a century. The shock wave it caused as it passed overhead blew out windows and injured hundreds of people. Also today, a 50 metre-wide <keyword id="6549794" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="asteroid">asteroid</keyword> called 2012 DA14 is zipping past Earth inside the orbit of some man-made satellites, marking the closest shave on record for an asteroid of that size.
This pair of unrelated events ought to focus minds, and not just among the small group of astronomers who have been worrying about asteroid strikes for many years. The first line of defence, as always, is knowing your enemy. To that end <keyword id="6360409" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="NASA">NASA</keyword>, America's space agency, has been watching the sky since 1998, trying to detect any chunks of rock whose orbits bring them close to Earth. These rocks are known as near-Earth objects (NEOs).
The agency reckons it has now tracked down around 90% of the very biggest NEOs, the "planet killers" a kilometre or more across. (The asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs is estimated to have been 7-10km across.) These heavyweights account for around 10% of the 10,000 or so known NEOs. Most, like 2012 DA14, are smaller. This makes them less dangerous, though they would still do a lot of damage if they were to hit a town or city. It also makes them harder to spot. This week's events give the various NEO-detection efforts involving NASA, the Japanese Space Agency and several universities around the world a good excuse to ask for more money to expand their search.
Other researchers, meanwhile, have been pondering what to do if an asteroid is detected that is indeed on a collision course with Earth. In the science-fiction film "Armageddon," Bruce Willis leads a team of drillers who blast a dangerous asteroid apart using nuclear weapons, which has the pleasing symmetry of using one doomsday scenario to avert another. But in reality this approach would be problematic. A nuclear explosion might simply fracture a large asteroid into several smaller ones, which could still hit Earth. Legal pedants might also point out that the 1996 Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty bans nuclear explosions in space.
There are other approaches. The European Space Agency is working on a mission called <a href="http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Technology/NEO/Don_Quijote_concept">Don Quijote</a> that aims to use a large, heavy spacecraft to ram an asteroid out of the way. Nor is violence the only answer: sending a rocket engine to an asteroid could work if the asteroid in question was relatively small and was detected with plenty of time to spare. Another non-violent proposal is to "paint" one side of an asteroid in light or dark colours, tweaking its trajectory via a neat bit of physics called the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yarkovsky_effect">Yarkovsky effect</a> that describes the way in which sunlight gives celestial bodies a gentle push. Perhaps the most elegant, though least spectacular, solution involves parking a spacecraft called a "gravity tractor" in orbit around an asteroid, and relying on its gravity to tug the rock gently out of the way. 
On February 14th two scientists at the University of California in Santa Barbara outlined another proposal, called DESTAR, in which solar-powered orbiting lasers would be turned on a threatening asteroid. The system could work in one of two ways. The stream of photons pouring from the lasers on a smallish system, roughly the size of the International Space Station, would be able to alter an asteroid's orbit over time by giving it a push. But bigger lasers would provide more destructive options. A large version of the system (roughly 10km across) could, the researchers say, vaporise an asteroid ten times the size of 2012 DA14 over the course of about a year. They claim, perhaps rather optimistically, that their idea is feasible with current technology.
But there is one final point that any aspiring asteroid-hunters would do well to consider. In his 1994 book "Pale Blue Dot", the science writer Carl Sagan pointed out that any technology capable of deflecting an asteroid away from Earth could also be used to place an otherwise unthreatening space rock on a collision course. Supervillains of the world, take note.
Click <a href="http://www.economist.com/products/subscribe/CUR22/noreg">here</a> to subscribe to <keyword id="425741" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="The-Economist">The Economist</keyword>

You Searched For "what is yarkovsky effect" and got 7 results

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

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The Hubble telescope caught an asteroid ripping itself to pieces due to the 'YORP effect'

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An asteroid nearly half the size of Mount Everest might be on a collision course for Earth in less than a year

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

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Two asteroids bigger than the Japan tsunamis are coming eerily close to Earth today

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Astronomers Are Planning Dramatic Ways To Stop An Asteroid Collision

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