Apophis!
The Stargate fan in me was tickled pink to learn that Apophis the Asteroid passed by close to Earth today! Ha! Cool!
This time, Apophis, named after an Egyptian god of destruction, was no closer than around 15 million kilometres.
In 2029, Apophis is expected to come uncomfortably close, brushing past the Earth at a distance of just 30,000 kilometres. That will put the asteroid inside the orbit of communication satellites.
Current models predict a small but real possibility that Apophis will strike the Earth in 2036 - but only if the space rock passes through a small "slingshot" region in space when it crosses our orbit in 2029.
Carry on, as you were.
This time, Apophis, named after an Egyptian god of destruction, was no closer than around 15 million kilometres.
In 2029, Apophis is expected to come uncomfortably close, brushing past the Earth at a distance of just 30,000 kilometres. That will put the asteroid inside the orbit of communication satellites.
Current models predict a small but real possibility that Apophis will strike the Earth in 2036 - but only if the space rock passes through a small "slingshot" region in space when it crosses our orbit in 2029.
Carry on, as you were.