(GIST OF SCIENCE REPORTER) Asteroid Apophis

(GIST OF SCIENCE REPORTER) Asteroid Apophis

(AUGUST-2024)

Asteroid Apophis

• ISRO has shown interest to be part of global planetary defence efforts ahead of Earth’s 2029 close encounter with asteroid Apophis. 

About Asteroid Apophis

• Asteroid 99942 Apophis is a near-Earth object (NEO) estimated to be about 1,100 feet (335 metres) across.

• When it was discovered in 2004, Apophis was identified as one of the most hazardous asteroids that could impact Earth. But that impact assessment changed after astronomers tracked Apophis, and its orbit became better determined.

Orbit and Rotation

• The orbit of Apophis crosses the orbit of Earth. 

• It completes an orbit around the Sun in a little less than one Earth year (about 0.9 years). This places it in the group of Earth-crossing asteroids known as “Atens,” those with orbits smaller in width than the width of Earth’s orbit, or 1 AU (distance between Sun and Earth). 

• ¾ The asteroid “wobbles” as it spins about its short axis, typically rotating about once every 30 hours. 

Structure

• ¾ Apophis is classified as an S-type, or stony-type asteroid made up of silicate (or rocky) materials and a mixture of metallic nickel and iron. 

Formation

• Like all asteroids, Apophis is a remnant from the early formation of our solar system about 4.6 billion years ago.

• It originated in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. 

• Over millions of years, its orbit was changed primarily by the gravitational influence of large planets like Jupiter so that it now orbits the Sun closer to Earth.

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Courtesy: Science Reporter