Apophis Asteroid Could Hit Earth In 2036, Scientists Say

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Apophis Asteroid Could Hit Earth In 2036, Scientists Say



First Posted: 02/ 9/11 12:43 PM Updated: 02/ 9/11 11:18 PM

Apophis Asteroid is back in the news after a Russian report concluded it could hit Earth in 2036. They even have a date for the potential impact.

"It's likely collision with Earth may occur on April 13, 2036," Professor Leonid Sokolov of St. Petersburg State University concluded, according to UPI, which also reports an unrelated 4-foot-wide asteroid passed by Earth this week.

Sokolov says while the chances for impact are slim, it's important to plan for all possible scenarios, per Russian state news agency RIA Novosti. He added the asteroid is most likely to disintegrate into smaller parts that could collide with Earth in following years.

The Apophis Asteroid made headlines in 2009 when scientists predicted a greater than 2 percent chance of impact.

NASA scientists are cautious about the prospect.

"Technically, they're correct, there is a chance in 2036 [that Apophis will hit Earth]," said Donald Yeomans, head of NASA's Near-Earth Object Program Office. But that chance is just 1-in-250,000, Yeomans added.

UPDATE: While the Apophis asteroid is only a bit larger than two football fields, check out the shocking visualization below of a significantly bigger impact. As Bad Astronomy reminds us, the asteroid depicted in this video would be much larger than Apophis.

http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2011/02/09/Car-size-asteroid-nears-Earth-Wednesday/UPI-66801297240200/

http://en.rian.ru/science/20110126/162318648.html