The Truth About Apophis

(End of the American Dream)—On April 13th, 2029 an absolutely gigantic asteroid known as “Apophis” will come very close to our planet.  In fact, we are being told that Apophis will actually be ten times closer than the Moon as it zips past the Earth.  The good news is that scientists are assuring us that there is zero chance that this enormous space rock will hit us.  The bad news is that we cannot see Apophis right now, and if there is even the slightest change in the projected trajectory it could end up slamming into our planet.  Needless to say, if Apophis actually hits us it would be an absolutely cataclysmic disaster.

For years, I did not think much about Apophis because I simply trusted what the “experts” were telling us.

For example, NASA is unequivocally stating that “there is no risk of Apophis impacting our planet for at least a century”…

Asteroid 99942 Apophis is a near-Earth object (NEO) estimated to be about 1,100 feet (335 meters) across.

When it was discovered in 2004, Apophis was identified as one of the most hazardous asteroids that could impact Earth. But that impact assessment changed after astronomers tracked Apophis, and its orbit became better determined.

A radar observation campaign in March 2021, combined with precise orbit analysis, allowed astronomers to conclude that there is no risk of Apophis impacting our planet for at least a century.

That seems quite clear. NASA is promising us that we do not have to worry about this giant space rock at all.

A planetary scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is telling us the exact same thing…

“Apophis is in the category of Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs)  —  asteroids with orbits that bring them very close to Earth now and for centuries in the future,” said Richard Binzel, a planetary scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “What makes Apophis the poster child for potentially hazardous asteroids is that it will make the closest known approach to Earth of any large asteroid this decade.

“But the three most important things about Apophis are: Apophis will miss the Earth. Apophis will miss the Earth. Apophis will miss the Earth,” he told Space.com via email.

If our top experts are this confident, why are some people out there still concerned about Apophis?

Well, it turns out that there are several reasons.

First of all, this giant space rock is going to come extremely close to our planet.

In fact, we are being told that it will be “less than one-tenth the distance to the Moon” as it flies by us…

It will be a very close pass. Apophis will come within about 32,000 kilometers (20,000 miles) of Earth — less than one-tenth the distance to the Moon. The asteroid will fly below the altitude of some satellites, but should arrive on a trajectory that makes any collision highly unlikely.

In astronomical terms, that is a really, really close shave.  In all of human history, we have never had a giant space rock come so close to us.

Secondly, we cannot actually see Apophis right now.

We have not been able to see Apophis since the middle of 2021 and we will not be able to see it again until 2027…

There is another problem. “Apophis is in the daytime sky and unobservable from mid-2021 to 2027,” Paul Wiegert, meaning any change in its trajectory will go unseen until just two years before April 12, 2029. However, he adds that a single observation during 2027 would be necessary to determine whether the asteroid threatened “an impending Earth impact.”

If there is the slightest change in the trajectory of Apophis, it could hit us.

And we will not know if the trajectory of Apophis has changed until we are able to view it in 2027.

For the moment, our scientists are assuming that the trajectory of Apophis has not been altered at all, and that is what they are basing their optimistic forecasts on.

Thirdly, everyone agrees that Earth’s gravitational pull will have an impact on Apophis.

One way that our planet’s gravity will affect Apophis is by causing small tremors…

The researchers discovered that two physical processes — triggered by Earth’s gravitational tugs — will likely sculpt Apophis’ surface during its 2029 encounter. One is tremors that will probably begin an hour before Apophis reaches its closest point to Earth and continue for a short while after.

The tremors’ strength is difficult to estimate, Ballouz said. However, “Apophis’ gravity is about 250,000 times smaller than Earth’s,” he added. “So, we think that events of much smaller magnitude could plausibly shake things up on its surface.”

Could those tremors alter the trajectory of Apophis enough for it to hit our planet?

I don’t know.

We are also being told that the gravity of our planet could change how Apophis is “tumbling” through the sky…

The other process that could “refresh” Apophis’ surface is a change in its tumbling. Tumbling occurs because the asteroid doesn’t rotate on a fixed axis or time period; instead, it tumbles through space like a badly thrown football.

An unrelated 2023 study showed that Earth’s gravity would cause the asteroid to rotate either more quickly or more slowly depending on its orientation during the 2029 approach. The new simulations confirmed this finding. They also revealed that the changes in Apophis’ tumbling will cause the sloping faces of surface rocks to destabilize, potentially triggering landslides in extreme cases.

I always assumed that Apophis was sailing peacefully through the heavens in a very calm manner. But it isn’t.

It is actually tumbling along quite violently, and if the spin rate of the asteroid changes just slightly that could change everything.

According to Professor Gareth Collins, if Apophis actually hits our planet the amount of energy released would be “equivalent to the explosive yield of the global nuclear arsenal”…

Collins estimates that if Apophis were to strike Earth at 45,000 mph (72,000 km/h) —  the average speed of asteroid impacts  —  the energy released would be about 10 billion, billion joules (a 1 followed by 19 zeros). “This is equivalent to the explosive yield of the global nuclear arsenal,” he said. “About 100,000 times more than the energy of the Chelyabinsk meteor and a million times more energy than the bombs dropped on Hiroshima.”

Can you imagine what that would look like?

When Neil deGrasse Tyson was asked about such a scenario, he warned that Apophis had the potential to create a tsunami that would wipe out the entire west coast of the United States…

Famous astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, in an episode of his podcast ‘Cosmic Queries’ discussed a threat posed by giant asteroids heading towards the Earth. In conversation with science author and cosmochemist Natalie Starkey, Tyson warned that a 370-metre wide near-Earth asteroid Apophis 99942 might spark a major tsunami that can wipe out the entire west coast of North America if it manages to hit the Earth.

That is crazy.

A wall of water hundreds of feet high would hit the west coast at blinding speed, and Tyson claims that virtually everything in the path of this wall of water would be instantly destroyed…

Tyson went on to explain how an impact in the ocean would trigger a tsunami, “If it goes through the centre, it will plunge down into the Pacific Ocean to a depth of three miles, at which point it explodes, caveating the Pacific in a hole that’s three miles wide. The 5 km-high wall collapses, falling back against itself and rising high into the atmosphere before falling back down to the ocean, generating tsunami waves.”

“So now you make a cavity a second time. This cycle takes about 50 seconds, you can calculate it,” Tyson added. “All the artificial stuff, all the houses, factories, they get churned into the force that sandblasts the entire west coast of North America clean.”

And because so much material would be thrown up into the atmosphere, there would be a period of global cooling that would spark a long-term global famine…

The long-term effects would be even more devastating, with widespread famine, disease, and mass extinction of plant and animal life. The impact would likely cause a mass extinction event, similar to the one that wiped out the dinosaurs.

So we better hope that this giant space rock does not hit us.

And for now, our top experts are assuring us that it will not.

But it is interesting to note that the European Space Agency will be sending a robotic spacecraft to “rendezvous with the asteroid in February 2029”…

The European Space Agency has given the go-ahead for initial work on a mission to visit an asteroid called (99942) Apophis. If approved at a key meeting next year, the robotic spacecraft, known as the Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety (Ramses), will rendezvous with the asteroid in February 2029.

Do they know something that we don’t?

Interestingly, Apophis was named after the Egyptian god of chaos, and it is approaching at a time when our entire planet is descending into a state of great chaos.

Hopefully our top experts are correct.

Hopefully this giant space rock will fly past our planet without causing a problem.

But for now we have no way of seeing it, and even the slightest change in trajectory could have absolutely enormous implications for all of us.

Michael’s new book entitled “Why” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can subscribe to his Substack newsletter at michaeltsnyder.substack.com.