Apophis is an asteroid that will come close to Earth in 2029, and again in 2036. When Apophis passes by the Earth in 2029 there is a 1 in 45,000 chance that this piece of space rock will collide with the Earth. These numbers seem small, but there is a chance that variations in its orbit could still occur in bring those odds down. For example, one estimation states that if Apophis were to strike a geosynchronous satellite during its 2029 pass, then the odds in 2036 will lower to 1 450 chance.
During the pass in 2029 the asteroid will pass close enough to the Earth, that it just may hit a satellite!
Even it if misses, Apophis brought attention to the possibility that catastrophic damage could occur, the possibility of the Earth getting struck at some time in the future cannot be ignored.
Apophis is estimated to be a little over 400 M across. Its name stems from an Egyptian god of the underworld, who is the enemy of Ra. So what kind of damage would this asteroid cause? Estimate vary widely based on where it hits, and what materials the asteroid is made up of. General estimate say that it could cause a 500 megaton blast. This would be 100 times more powerful that the Tunguska blast that hit Siberia in 1909.
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