The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is currently monitoring a very large asteroid. Its name is Apophis. This asteroid is named after the Egyptian god of chaos, and it is moving towards the Earth at a fast speed. It is being told that this asteroid is going to pass very close to the Earth on April 13, 2029. Concerns have increased all over the world regarding this incident.
ISRO has prepared to deal with such celestial events under its newly launched domain “Planetary Defence”. The main objective of this domain is to protect the Earth from external celestial objects. ISRO Chairman Dr. S Somanath said in a conversation with NDTV, “Collision with a large asteroid is a real existential threat to humanity. ISRO is taking this threat seriously and Apophis is being closely monitored by our Network for Space Objects Tracking and Analysis (NETRA). After all, we have only one Earth on which we can live. India will cooperate with all countries to deal with such threats.”
Apophis was discovered in 2004
According to the report, Apophis was first discovered in 2004 and since then its cycle of coming close to Earth has been closely studied. The next close encounter will happen in 2029 and after that in 2036. Although there are concerns about it colliding with Earth, some studies have said that in 2029 it will just pass near the Earth and there will be no possibility of collision.
The closeness of the Apophis asteroid to Earth can be compared to the fact that India’s geostationary satellites are orbiting at a higher altitude than the possible closest distance of Apophis to Earth. That is, Apophis will come so close to Earth that it will be at a distance less than the satellites that usually orbit at an altitude of 36,000 kilometers from Earth. This gives an idea of how extraordinary and close this event will be.
The asteroid did not come so close to Earth
No other asteroid of this size has come so close to Earth before this asteroid located at an altitude of 32,000 kilometers. Asteroid Apophis is not only in the news for its speed and approach to Earth, but its size is also quite worrying. The size of Apophis is bigger than India’s largest aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya and the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The estimated diameter of this meteor is between 340 and 450 meters. Any celestial body larger than 140 meters in diameter, which passes close to Earth, is considered potentially dangerous.
“Continental catastrophe” could occur
According to ISRO experts, any meteor larger than 300 meters hitting the Earth can cause “continental devastation”. An even more terrifying situation can occur if an asteroid larger than 10 kilometers in diameter hits the Earth, which can result in a “genocide”. Dr. AK Anil Kumar, head of ISRO’s Network for Space Objects Tracking and Analysis (NETRA), said, “If a large asteroid like Apophis hits the Earth, it can have catastrophic consequences on a global scale. This can cause local genocide and the dust raised from the collision can spread into the atmosphere and cause global disruption.”
Asteroid fell in India
An example of an asteroid hitting the earth in the history of India exists in the form of Lonar Lake in Maharashtra. About 500,000 years ago, an asteroid hit Lonar, resulting in the formation of a huge crater, which is known as a lake today. The width of this crater is more than a square kilometer, which shows the intensity of that collision. ISRO Chairman Dr. S Somanath said, “ISRO will closely study the event of Apophis passing near the Earth in 2029. We have a living example like Lonar Lake, which was formed by the collision of a meteor. Studying this event will prepare us to deal with potential threats in the future.”
