Armageddon was one of the apocalyptic films that triumphed in the 90s and early 2000s along with the now legendary Deep Impact with the meteorite impact that devastated New York City with a tsunami. The future seems at the mercy of an element outside the planet that can arrive at any moment. Science tries to determine when it can happen, so NASA closely monitors any large object that approaches Earth.
Without a doubt, we are facing a major problem that can happen at any time and for which there does not seem to be a solution. At least not one that doesn’t involve the possible end of humanity as such. That meteorite similar to the one in the blockbuster movie Armageddon with Bruce Willis as the protagonist is one of the possibilities that may end up becoming a reality, as we see a large and fast meteorite approaching our planet. The science fiction in these movies may end up being simply science if we pay attention to what experts say is a meteorite similar to the ones that arrived in these movies.
Approaches Earth
The reality is that a meteorite that can end humanityin the same way it did with the dinosaurs, may be closer than it seems. NASA tries to monitor these objects that travel through the solar system and come dangerously close to Earth. Especially if they meet certain conditions.
The size of the meteorite is one of the details that does not go unnoticed. Our atmosphere is capable of avoiding the impact of certain space rocks that arrive, meteorites can end up arriving at full speed, without being perceived, but luckily we have a layer that protects us to a certain extent.
A great impact affected the Earth millions of years ago, changing the climate and even the position of the planet. Perhaps without it, we would not be what we are now, but that does not mean that we have to visualize an important change in these days ahead of us.
The future may be marked by what happens through these elements that are arriving at high speed and that cause all the alarms to go off when we encounter a true Armageddon.
A meteorite like the one from Armageddon worries experts
NASA set its eyes on a meteorite similar to that of Armageddon, a movie that could be a reality in 2029. Perhaps we are closer than it seems to this end of humanity or a global security problem that would affect us all, although there are still a few years to go and we don’t know what may end up happening.
The NASA blog gives us more details of what could happen: «When it was discovered in 2004, Apophis was identified as one of the most dangerous 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.
Continuing with the same explanation: “Apophis quickly gained notoriety as an asteroid that could pose a serious threat to Earth when astronomers predicted it would pass uncomfortably close to us in 2029. Thanks to additional observations of Apophis, the risk of an impact in 2029 was later ruled out, as was the potential impact risk posed by another close flyby in 2036. However, as of March 2021, there still remained a small chance of an impact in 2068. When Apophis made a distant flyby of Earth around 5 March 2021, astronomers took the opportunity to use powerful radar observations to refine the estimate of its orbit around the Sun with extreme precision, allowing them to confidently rule out any risk of impact in 2068 and long after. “An impact in 2068 is no longer a possibility and our calculations show no impact risk for at least the next 100 years,” said Davide Farnocchia of NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS), which is managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “Supported by recent optical observations and additional radar observations, the uncertainty in Apophis’s orbit has been reduced from hundreds of kilometers to just a handful of kilometers when projected for 2029. This greatly improved knowledge of its position in 2029 provides more certainty of its future movement, so we can now remove Apophis from the risk list.” Farnocchia was referring to the Sentry Impact Risk Table. Maintained by CNEOS, the table keeps track of the few asteroids whose orbits take them so close to Earth that an impact cannot be ruled out. With recent findings, the Risk Table no longer includes Apophis. Relying on optical telescopes and ground-based radars to help characterize the orbit of every known near-Earth object to improve long-term risk assessments, CNEOS calculates high-precision orbits in support of NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office To arrive at the Apophis calculations in 2021, astronomers used the 70-meter (230-foot) radio antenna at the Deep Space Network’s Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex near Barstow, California, to precisely track the Apophis movement. “Although Apophis recently approached Earth, it was still almost 10.6 million miles (17 million kilometers) away. Still, we were able to acquire incredibly precise information about its distance to within about 150 meters (490 feet),” said JPL scientist Marina Brozovic, who led the radar campaign. “This campaign not only helped us rule out any risk of impact, but also prepared us for a wonderful scientific opportunity.”
