Not covid-19. Watch out for Armageddon
Not covid-19. Watch out for Armageddon
ByHemanth CSHemanth CS / Updated: Feb 26, 2021, 06:00 IST
Earth at a distance of 16.85 million km
Astronomers across the world cannot wait for March 5. The Apophis asteroid is going to have a
close encounter with the Earth on that day.
Apophis is a 300-metre
sized asteroid discovered on June 19, 2004 which astronomers around the globe have long been concerned about. They have apprehensions that it might be on a collision course with the Earth in the future, in its close encounters in 2029, 2036 and 2068.
“The asteroid which is named after the Egyptian God of chaos is going to have a close encounter with the Earth on March 5, when it will be closest to the Earth at 11.30 pm, at a distance of 16.85 million km. That is some distance, but the astronomers are enthused to be able to make extensive optical and radar measurements and a refined estimate of the magnitude of the Yarkovsky acceleration,�