On April 13, 2029, an asteroid, which is capable of destroying millions of lives, will approach the Earth. But this time it will do without a catastrophe - the celestial body will fly at an unprecedented small distance, which is smaller than the orbits of some satellites, namely 32,000 km. This is a rare opportunity for scientists to investigate in detail one of the most famous asteroids - (99942) apophis.
Asteroid apophis was discovered 21 years ago, and the first calculations indicated the possibility of its contact with Earth in 2029, 2026 or 2068. This gave rise to global anxiety, because the diameter of the space stone is about 340 meters. In the case of impact, this could lead to the destruction within the radius of hundreds of kilometers, especially in the case of a densely populated area. Although astronomers are convinced today that in 2029 the apophis will not fall to Earth, it still leaves open questions. Scientists warn that during the approximation of the gravity of our planet can change the trajectory of asteroid, and this potentially makes it more dangerous in the future. The uniqueness of the approval of the apophis in 2029 lies not only in its proximity to the Earth, but also in the chance, which it opens for scientists. Last week, scientists from all over the world gathered in Tokyo to reconcile the asteroid research strategies. According to them, this opportunity falls once every millennium. For a deeper analysis of the asteroid, the European Space Agency in 2028 will launch the RamSes apparatus, which will approach the apophis in February 2029 - just before it is approached with the Earth. This will allow you to fix the physical changes of the asteroid under the influence of terrestrial gravity. Immediately after the approval of the apophis, another spacecraft will fly-NASA Osiris-APEX, which will study the asteroid for several years until 2030. Its task is to analyze the trajectory and changes in the structure of the cosmic body after its close passage near our planet. NASA has already proven the opportunity to change the trajectory of dangerous objects in space. In 2022, the Dart apparatus intentionally crashed into the asteroid of Dart, changing its orbit. This experiment confirmed that in the event of a real threat - humanity has a chance to defend itself.
The uniqueness of this event is also that the asteroid will be visible to the naked eye. According to astronomer Richard Binsel of MIT, residents of Western Europe and West Africa will be best seen. It is a real space show that will unite the planet in observing the mysterious "God of Chaos".
