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Playing With Fire
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Originally Posted by bubbaspike
The director of the russian institutor of astronomy, Boris Sustov,
at a international space forum in Moscow Monday October 1st
that the Apophis asteroid is due to cross earths orbit in 2029 at a
height of 27000km and could under certain circumstances impact earth.
The explosion could
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Quote:
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Based upon the observed brightness, Apophis's length was estimated at 415 m (1350 ft); a more refined estimate based on spectroscopic observations at NASA's Infrared Telescope Facility in Hawaii by Binzel, Rivkin, Bus, and Tokunaga (2005) is 350 m (1150 ft). Its mass is estimated to be
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/99942_Apophis
If I knew that Apophis was going to hit in 6 hours, I'd do the same as Ustwo. Its not a "huge" asteroid, not even close to the size of the one that wiped out the dinosaurs.
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Using estimates of the total amount of iridium in the K–T layer, and assuming that the asteroid contained the normal percentage of iridium found in chondrites, the Alvarez team went on to calculate the size of the asteroid. The answer was about 10 kilometers (6 mi) in diameter, about the size of Manhattan.[2] Such a large impact would have had approximately the force of 100 trillion tons of TNT, or about 2 million times greater than the most powerful thermonuclear bomb ever tested.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%E2%80%93T_boundary
More on Apophis........
Quote:
99942 Apophis (previously known by its provisional designation 2004 MN4) is a near-Earth asteroid that caused a brief period of concern in December 2004 because initial observations indicated a relatively large probability (up to 2.7%) that it would strike the Earth in 2029. Additional observations provided improved predictions that eliminated the possibility of an impact on Earth or the Moon in 2029. However there remained a possibility that during the 2029 close encounter with Earth, Apophis would pass through a "gravitational keyhole", a precise region in space no more than about 400 meters across, that would set up a future impact on April 13, 2036. This possibility kept the asteroid at Level 1 on the Torino impact hazard scale until August 2006. It broke the record for the highest level on the Torino Scale, being, for only a short time, a level 4, before it was lowered.[1]
Additional observations of the trajectory of Apophis revealed the "keyhole" would likely be missed and on August 5, 2006, Apophis was lowered to a Level 0 on the Torino Scale. As of October 19, 2006, the impact probability for April 13, 2036, is estimated at 1 in 45,000. An additional impact date in 2037 has been identified; however, the impact probability for that encounter is 1 in 12.3 million.
Despite the fact that there is no longer any significant probability of an Earth impact, the Planetary Society is offering $50,000 in prize awards for a few of the best plans to put a tracking device on or near the asteroid.[2]
After the Minor Planet Center confirmed the June discovery of Apophis (then known only as 2004 MN4), the next close approach was computed to be April 13, 2029 by the automatic Sentry system of NASA's Near-Earth Object Program Office. NEODyS, a similar automatic system at the University of Pisa, Italy and the University of Valladolid, Spain also calculated this same approach date. On that date, it will become as bright as magnitude 3.3 (visible to the naked eye from rural and some darker suburban areas, visible with binoculars from most locations[4]). This close approach will be visible from Europe, Africa, and western Asia. As a result of its close passage, it will move from the Aten (see below) to the Apollo class.
After the June discovery was confirmed, observatories throughout the world computed the probability of impact. Over the next several days, additional observations allowed for astronomers to narrow the cone of error. As they did, the probability of an impact event climbed, peaking at 2.7% (1 in 37). Combined with its size, this caused Apophis to be assessed at level four out of ten on the Torino Impact Hazard Scale and 1.10 on the Palermo scale, scales scientists use to represent the danger of an asteroid hitting Earth. These are the highest values for which any object has been rated on either scale.
On April 13, 2029, Apophis will pass the earth within the orbits of geosynchronous communication satellites. It will return for another close Earth approach in 2036.
Precovery observations from March 15, 2004 were identified on December 27, and an improved orbit was computed [5]. Radar astrometry further refined the orbit. The 2029 pass will actually be much closer than the first predictions, but the uncertainty is such that an impact is ruled out. The pass on April 13, 2036 was also determined to carry little risk.
It is important to note that the close approach in 2029 will substantially alter the object's orbit, making predictions uncertain without more data. "If we get radar ranging in 2013 [the next good opportunity], we should be able to predict the location of 2004 MN4 out to at least 2070." said Jon Giorgini of JPL [6].
In July 2005, former Apollo astronaut Rusty Schweickart, as chairman of the B612 Foundation, formally asked NASA to investigate the possibility that the asteroid's post-2029 orbit could be in orbital resonance with the Earth, which would increase the probability of future impacts. Schweickart asked for an investigation of the necessity of placing a transponder on the asteroid for more accurate tracking of how its orbit is affected by the Yarkovsky effect [7].
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/99942_Apophis
__________________
Syriana...have you ever tried liquid MDMA?....Liquid MDMA? No....Arash, when you wanna do this?.....After prayer...
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