This videos shoes the closest approach of the asteroid (99942) Apophis to the Earth, which will occur in April 13, 2029.
The Apophis asteroid is notable because it is the largest asteroid of those whose close approaches to the Earth are predicted over the next few decades. The Apophis diameter is estimated at about 420 meters, which is significantly larger than the space object that exploded over Chelyabinsk (Russia) on February 15, 2013. The initial size of the Chelyabinsk meteorite is estimated at 17 meters, while its entry into the Earth’s atmosphere led to a blast with an explosive equivalent of about 500 kilotonnes of TNT.
If a 420-meter Apophis collides with the Earth and, for example, it falls on Europe, then an area approximately the size of France will completely cease to exist. At the same time, the rest of Europe will be subject to partial destruction and engulfed in fires. Some of the consequences will be felt throughout the planet.
Even more tragic will be the consequences of the fall of Apophis into the ocean. Huge tsunamis will hit the coasts. The thin oceanic crust will be pierced, the incandescent substance of the mantle will mix with water. A huge amount of vaporized matter will be released into the atmosphere, which will lead to the effect of a nuclear winter for a long time.
Fortunately, the chances of the asteroid Apophis colliding with our planet are estimated to be quite low.
On Friday, April 13, 2029, at 21:46 UTC, the asteroid Apophis will pass at a distance of approximately 38 thousand kilometers from the Earth center. That is, approximately at a distance of five Earth radiuses from the surface of our planet. Thus, Apophis will approach the Earth closer than the geosynchronous communication satellites are located. Also, the asteroid will approach the Moon on April 14, 2029 at 14:33 UTC. It will pass at a distance of about 96 thousand kilometers from the Moon center.
The gravitational impact of the Earth on the asteroid will lead to a very significant change in the Apophis orbit. It will move from one group of asteroids to another: from the Aten group to the Apollo group.
However, partial destruction of the asteroid under the action of the Earth tidal forces is not excluded. In this case, some of the fragments may fall to the Earth. At the same time, the fall of each of the fragments to the Earth separately will lead to significantly less destruction compared to the fall of the asteroid Apophis as a whole.
Although the asteroid Apophis orbit will change, it will still intersect with the Earth orbit. Therefore, the risk of the asteroid Apophis collision with the Earth after 2029 will also remain. We will try to estimate this risk in the following videos. Subscribe to our channel so as not to miss them.
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The video was made using own software.
The track ‘Spirit of Fire’ by Jesse Gallagher sounds in this video.
