“The Destroyer” is the nickname given by scientists to 99942 Apophis (commonly referred to as Apophis), the asteroid at the top of NASA and ESA’s list concerning potential threats to Earth.
Apophis is also the name of a deity in ancient Egyptian mythology, representing darkness and chaos.
Previous calculations indicated that Apophis could approach or collide with Earth in 2029, but scientists later dismissed the risk of a collision. However, this does not mean that the two objects will not interact with each other.
Predicted shape of “The Destroyer” – (Graphic: NASA).
According to new research led by planetary scientist Ronald Ballouz from the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (USA), “The Destroyer” will not pose a threat to Earth; rather, it will be affected by Earth.
Specifically, the close approach will create enough gravitational interaction between Earth and Apophis to significantly alter the asteroid’s surface.
This discovery could explain why some asteroids appear younger than their actual age as they move through space.
According to Science Alert, to reach this conclusion, the research team modeled Apophis’s flyby of Earth in 2029. They stated that the actual shape of this asteroid is not well-known, but the gathered data suggests it has two lobes, possibly resembling a pair of interconnected objects similar to the asteroid 25143 Itokawa, which has been well-studied by humanity.
Thus, they used Itokawa as a baseline model and adjusted its composition to better fit “The Destroyer.”
The results indicate that this asteroid will experience a series of short-term seismic events as it approaches Earth.
The “patterns” created when large rocks on the surface of Apophis are raised and lowered could be immediately detectable by instruments on Earth.
This is just the beginning. The gravitational interaction could alter the rotation of the asteroid, causing it to continue its journey around the sun with a new spin, continually changing its surface and refreshing itself over tens of thousands of years.
Apophis was first discovered in 2004, with an estimated size of over 300 meters.
After NASA announced that Earth would be safe from it for at least the next 100 years, the scientific community breathed a sigh of relief and eagerly anticipates the 2029 visit. At that time, it will come close enough for them to conduct further studies and experiments.
