https://earthsky.org/space/asteroid-99942-apophis-encounters-2029-2036-2068

 

You can watch online as the notorious near-Earth asteroid Apophis brushes past Earth on March 5-6, 2021. This flyby is a precursor to the tantalizingly close sweep Apophis will make in 2029.

400 meters across?  That's a big space rock!

Sure is. Won't hit this time and not in 2029, and won't in 2036 but there's a small chance it will in 2068.

Odds are very good that I will not be around for the 2068 encounter.

8 hours ago, stans said:

Odds are very good that I will not be around for the 2068 encounter.

 

😁 I would be 110.

I'm sure there will be a mega quantum hyper force field generator by then. We will just nudge it away. Or trap it in the force field, send a few anti gravity shuttles up, check it out, then propel it into the void. 

15 hours ago, martin-w said:

 

😁 I would be 110.

I'm sure there will be a mega quantum hyper force field generator by then. We will just nudge it away. Or trap it in the force field, send a few anti gravity shuttles up, check it out, then propel it into the void. 

Or we will be able to trap it, mine it for all the minerals it contains, then send what ever is left into deep space.  But, I am unlikely to be around for that, although I will be only 102. 😜

1200 megatons of TNT if it hit. Tunguska and the famous Arizona crater were 2 to 3.

Yikes.

There is a proposed mission to catch an asteroid, tow it back to Earth and mine it.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/130410-asteroid-recovery-nasa-space-budget-science

Whether it will come to fruition is another matter.

Edited March 7, 20215 yr by martin-w

Orbital mechanics was so much easier with plain Newtonian physics. As if orbital chaos didn't cause us enough problems (due to very small errors in measurements of position and velocity that result in significant deviations when compared to classical Newtonian motion over long periods of time, or after very close approaches to perturbing bodies), now we have to deal with relativity, non gravitational forces acting on comets, and the Yarkovsky acceleration. Why can't stuff be straightforward?

Edited March 7, 20215 yr by Christopher Low

21 hours ago, Christopher Low said:

 Yarkovsky acceleration. Why can't stuff be straightforward?

 

Does Apophis rotate much? Yes it does, because its an alien space ship using centrifugal force to mimic gravity. Not many know that. 

Please don't tell anyone. 

21 hours ago, martin-w said:

 

Does Apophis rotate much? Yes it does, because its an alien space ship using centrifugal force to mimic gravity. Not many know that. 

Please don't tell anyone. 

The the question is, during the next near-earth encounter, do they land their invasion force on earth?

2 hours ago, stans said:

The the question is, during the next near-earth encounter, do they land their invasion force on earth?

 

Hi there, and thank you for your question. I have just received a reply via the sub space comms relay.

The aliens on board Starship Apophis would like to reassure you that they are just on a pub crawl and that Earth in 2068 will be the last stop.

After nipping into the pub in 2068, they will sink a few pints, buy some packets of peanuts, urinate up a nearby wall (mimicking the local tradition) and then be on their way.

I strongly suspect that one of the pubs in question will be:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_World's_End_(film)

36 minutes ago, HighBypass said:

I strongly suspect that one of the pubs in question will be:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_World's_End_(film)

 

Actually no, the pub you mention is purely fictional, whereas the Apophis Starship and its occupants are real. 

If you would like to send me £10,000  I may be able to arrange a meeting for you, with the aliens, when they drop by. 

 

If you would like an RTX3090, send me 2K and I can send you one of those too, or any other parts. Here it is below...

 

 

 

 

Edited March 9, 20215 yr by martin-w

8 minutes ago, martin-w said:

If you would like to send me £10,000  I may be able to arrange a meeting for you, with the aliens, when they drop by. 

By all means, Martin. Just waiting for a large sum of money promised to me by a Nigerian Prince.. 

1 hour ago, HighBypass said:

By all means, Martin. Just waiting for a large sum of money promised to me by a Nigerian Prince.. 

 

I now that guy... alien. Don't trust him.