NASA gives all clear: Earth safe from asteroid for 100 years

Date:

By MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Whew, now here’s some good cosmic news: NASA has given Earth the all clear for the next century from a particularly menacing asteroid.

The space agency announced this week that new telescope observations have ruled out any chance of Apophis smacking Earth in 2068.

That’s the same 1,100-foot (340-meter) space rock that was supposed to come frighteningly close in 2029 and again in 2036. NASA ruled out any chance of a strike during those two close approaches a while ago. But a potential 2068 collision still loomed.

First detected in 2004, Apophis is now officially off NASA’s asteroid “risk list.”

“A 2068 impact is not in the realm of possibility anymore, and our calculations don’t show any impact risk for at least the next 100 years,” Davide Farnocchia of NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies, said in a statement Friday.

Scientists were able to refine Apophis’ orbit around the sun thanks to radar observations earlier this month, when the asteroid passed within 10.6 million miles (17 million kilometers).

Apophis will come within 20,000 miles (32,000 kilometers) on April 13, 2029, enabling astronomers to get a good look.

“When I started working with asteroids after college, Apophis was the poster child for hazardous asteroids,” Farnocchia said. “There’s a certain sense of satisfaction to see it removed from the risk list.”

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Find your latest news here at the Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Share post:

Subscribe to The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle

Popular

More like this
Related

Judge rules Donald Trump defrauded banks, insurers as he built real estate empire

A judge has ruled that Donald Trump committed fraud for years while building the real estate empire that catapulted him to fame and the White House.

California governor signs law raising taxes on guns and ammunition to pay for school safety

California will double the taxes on guns and ammunition and use the money to pay for more security at public schools and various violence prevention programs under a new law Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Tuesday.

CMS Statement on Current Status of Blood Tests for Organ Transplant Rejection

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) confirms that neither CMS nor the Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) have made changes that affect patients’ ability to have blood tests used to monitor for organ transplantation rejection covered when ordered by their physicians in medically appropriate circumstances.

The Health Divide: Is the media reporting on the booster rollout in communities of color?

As the COVID numbers continue to climb across the country, journalists should be paying close attention to how the latest information on infections and vaccines is perceived in communities of color. And if you don’t yet have sources in these communities, listening to the radio or print outlets serving these audiences is one of the best tools.