Thanks to the tremendous size of Apophis, its close-passage will be so bright that around 2 billion people will be able to witness it with the naked eye.
Predicting what an impact between our planet and an asteroid the size, shape and density of Apophis would look like is not an easy task. There certainly isn't anything like it in the geological record of our planet — other impacts have either been much larger, such as thethat struck Earth 66 million years ago — or much smaller. Additionally, there are many factors that have to be considered when estimating the damage that could arise from such a collision.
The worst-case scenario for an impact this size would be if it were to occur close to a large population center or near a heavily populated coastline, Collins said. Were this to occur, devastating consequences would arise from a number of secondary effects, such as violent ground shaking, intense thermal radiation and atmospheric shock waves.
In particular, Farnocchia and his team will take advantage of this valuable scientific opportunity by observing how Apophis reacts to tidal forces when so close to Earth."Among other things, the rotation state of Apophis could change," as a result of its close proximity, Farnocchia said. Observations of Apophis in 2029 should also help scientists better ascertain its size, shape, composition and even model its interior for the first time.
Because Apophis seems to be similar to around 80% of the PHAs identified so far, collecting data on it could help scientists learn how we might divert future PHAs should they threaten Earth in the future.
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