The Most Dangerous Asteroid Is Here, But NASA Has a Plan

Bright Side

Have you heard about Asteroid Apophis? It's like the rockstar of space—cool name, big impact! This bad boy has been causing a stir among astronomers. It's got a reputation for being a bit of a troublemaker, swinging by Earth every now and then, giving us all a little scare. But don't worry, it's not all doom and gloom—NASA's been keeping a close eye on it. They're on top of the game, crunching numbers, plotting trajectories, and making sure Apophis knows who's boss. So, while it's definitely something to keep an eye on, let's leave the asteroid-wrangling to the experts, shall we?

Transcript

00:00If an asteroid like Apophis hits Earth, we will be destroyed.

00:06Massive earthquakes will strike.

00:09And tsunamis will flood everything.

00:13Apophis is a billion-year-old celestial body that has been in the solar system since its inception.

00:19So you might be thinking, well, how likely is it that this giant space stone will collide with our planet in 2029?

00:26Well, let's find out, shall we?

00:30Apophis is a big, bad asteroid discovered in 2004 by the Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona.

00:38Since then, it has proudly held the title of one of the most dangerous asteroids ever located.

00:44It's around 1,100 feet wide, which is a bit bigger than the Empire State Building and the Eiffel Tower.

00:51Because of how scary it is, it was named Apophis, like the Egyptian immortal creature

00:56that was considered to bring eternal darkness and destruction to Earth.

01:00Oh, boy.

01:02In 2021, researchers had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to study this floating rock when it passed near our planet.

01:09And we'll come back to that in a minute.

01:11Now, some scientists say that there is a small chance of Apophis hitting the Earth on Friday, April 13, 2029.

01:20The Yarkovsky effect is to blame for this since it can slightly nudge this space rock towards Earth.

01:27This effect originates from the uneven emission of thermal photons from a rotating celestial object,

01:34resulting in a fascinating force exerted upon it in space.

01:38These emitted photons possess momentum and play a pivotal role in shaping the dynamics of the body.

01:44The asteroid has two sides, light and dark, just like the Moon.

01:49The light side faces the Sun and is warmer than the dark side.

01:53But the thing also turns, so the sides constantly change direction and temperature.

01:59This change could be detrimental because it slightly pushes Apophis toward Earth.

02:05Unfortunately, nobody knows how the Yarkovsky effect will influence the asteroid's path.

02:10On the other hand, on the asteroid's last flyby of Earth in 2021,

02:16astronomers used radar to take accurate measurements of its trajectory

02:20and confidently concluded Apophis will safely miss Earth in 2029 by about 20,000 miles

02:27and won't bother us again for at least 100 years.

02:31Now, generally speaking, every 8,000 years, our planet is hit by a falling star

02:37that has similar dimensions to those of Apophis.

02:40The last time we were hit by a slightly smaller meteor was in 2013.

02:48A new spacecraft developed by NASA called the OSIRIS-REx

02:52was launched in 2016 to collect samples from another slightly less terrifying celestial body called Bennu.

02:59Four years later, it finally arrived at the thing,

03:03got some samples,

03:04quickly said goodbye to Bennu,

03:07and started traveling back towards Earth.

03:08The samples were safely stored in a capsule dropped in Utah.

03:13So far, this has been the most significant sample ever taken from an asteroid.

03:18After the delivery,

03:20the spacecraft didn't waste any time and started chasing Apophis.

03:24Now, OSIRIS-REx has been renamed to OSIRIS-Apex

03:28and is currently playing tag with Apophis.

03:31With some luck, on the 2nd of April, 2029,

03:36when the asteroid zips close by Earth,

03:38the spacecraft will reach Apophis and land on it.

03:42It will stay on Apophis for 18 months,

03:45collecting valuable information and taking thousands of pictures.

03:48The asteroid will be monitored with the help of powerful telescopes.

03:52At some point, Apophis will get too close to the Sun,

03:57and then all the monitoring work will be on OSIRIS's apex back.

04:02If you live in Europe, West Asia, or Africa,

04:05you're one of those lucky people who will have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity

04:10to see Apophis with the unaided eye.

04:12It will be visible in the sky in these regions in 2029,

04:16and those who have telescopes will be able to spot it once again in 2036.

04:23OSIRIS-APEX will experience some problems

04:26because the asteroid has a thick crust,

04:28and the spacecraft won't be able to collect data as easily as it did with Bennu.

04:33OSIRIS-APEX has a unique thruster

04:35that will blow all the dust from Apophis while landing.

04:38This will be a perfect chance to analyze the surface of the asteroid

04:42to see what it's made of.

04:44The craft will spend one and a half years mapping the asteroid,

04:48trying to detect changes in its shape.

04:51All this research will show how the celestial body is likely to move

04:54so we can better design plans to protect Earth from such things.

04:59In 2025, NASA is also going to launch the mission Apophis Pathfinder,

05:04and it will be the first spaceship to ever touch this asteroid.

05:08It will land approximately a year after its launch.

05:11Also, NASA has proposed sending a swarm of tiny craft into space

05:16to help humanity develop effective protective tactics against asteroid strikes.

05:21We know that Apophis originated in the primary asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

05:28In the past million years, this celestial body has changed its path

05:32because of the considerable influence of Jupiter's gravitation.

05:35Now, it seems like it favors the Sun more,

05:38meaning this asteroid will come very close to Earth.

05:42That's why it's classified as a near-Earth celestial body.

05:45A lot of tests and research have been done to find a way to deal with asteroids.

05:49Some solutions include drilling it, detonating the space body from inside,

05:54or testing new technologies, like attaching rockets to it and trying to steer it away from Earth.

06:01We can also hit it with something moving at high speeds to make it change its course.

06:07Apophis is an S-type asteroid made of rocks and minerals like iron and nickel,

06:12and is shaped like a peanut.

06:14It can tell us a lot about the past and possibly the future.

06:19Sampling this space object could reveal how life on Earth began and how plants appeared.

06:25There are many theories that suggest that water arrived on our planet on an asteroid or a comet.

06:32Asteroids are like priceless time capsules.

06:34Unlike rocks on Earth, which have undergone thousands of changes, like erosion,

06:39most celestial bodies are still intact and much easier to study.

06:43When meteors fall on Earth, they get covered in debris that's impossible to clean.

06:48That's why studying Apophis while it's still in space is so important.

06:53Also, some asteroids are made of precious metals like platinum.

06:57Right now, we have a high demand for metals that we use in production,

07:02and mining metals on Earth is quite tricky.

07:05Just one large meteor might have iron, nickel, gold, and platinum that could last us millions of years.

07:12If Apophis has this amount of metals, well, we'd want to break it down and bring it back to Earth.

07:18One space rock could be worth quadrillions of dollars, making space mining highly profitable.

07:23And still, it would cost us more to get it back to Earth than to dig up these materials here.

07:30As technology progresses and new kinds of rockets are developed, this might become possible at some point.

07:39So, even though we're safe for the next hundred years from Apophis,

07:43you probably still want to see what would happen if something like it did impact.

07:47Come on, sure you do.

07:49Well, first let me tell you, you'll hear the sound of the collision and know what's happened even if you're miles away.

07:56You should leave your house or apartment immediately.

08:00Shortly after the impact, massive earthquakes will strike, and many tall buildings will fall.

08:05So, staying away from cities might be your best option if you have a choice.

08:09But don't escape by car.

08:13There will be massive traffic jams, and everyone will panic.

08:17Going on foot or by bike is your best option in this scenario.

08:21A prime way of transportation will be traveling by plane.

08:25So, if you've always wanted to get that pilot license, now you've got a good excuse.

08:30If you have time, take along extra snacks and water, and an extra pair of socks.

08:37It's nice to live by the ocean or the sea, but in this scenario, it's the worst place to be,

08:43because giant tsunami waves will hit coastlines after the impact.

08:48If you live far away from the impact area, the tsunami might take 30 hours to arrive.

08:53You'll have a bit of time to prepare.

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