Giant 'God of Darkness' asteroid may not escape Earth unscathed - study

The giant asteroid "God of Chaos", or 99942 Apophis, named after the ancient Egyptian god of darkness and disorder, may not pose a threat to the Earth, but this does not mean that the Earth is not a danger to it, ScienceAlert reports, according to UNN.

Details

"When the asteroid 99942 Apophis flies close to Earth in 2029, the gravitational interaction between the two bodies is likely to dramatically change the asteroid's surface," concluded a study conducted by planetary scientist Ronald Ballouz of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.

The scientist believes that their findings may explain why some asteroids have a surface younger than would be expected from the time they rotate in space.

"99942 Apophis is a defiant asteroid. After its discovery in 2004, scientists estimated that the 335-meter-long piece of rock's trajectory could potentially lead it to collide with Earth when it approaches in April 2029. It gave us a great scare! Fortunately, it was only fear. Scientists counted and recalculated the numbers and then counted them again for good measure. 99942 Apophis will fly less than 32,000 kilometers from Earth in 2029, but there is no chance that it will collide with our world in the next century," the publication says.

But what about 99942 Apophis? Will it remain intact? As Ballouz and his team observed, near-Earth asteroids like 99942 Apophis tend to share two properties. Their surfaces are loose and gravelly; and they seem to show less weathering in space than asteroids that don't have near-planet flybys.

Ballouz and his team wondered if there might be a connection between the younger appearance of near-Earth asteroids and their near-Earth antics.

To find out, scientists have simulated the passage of 99942 Apophis by the Earth in 2029. And they found that the Earth's gravity could indeed have a noticeable effect on 99942 Apophis.

Especially when the asteroid gets as close to Earth as possible. As it flies by, 99942 Apophis will shudder with a series of short-lived seismic events. These seismic events could be felt and cause magnitude accelerations on the surface, similar to the asteroid's gravity, the publication writes.

The second effect will be more long-term. As the asteroid approaches the Earth, gravitational interaction can change the asteroid's rotation. Over time, as the asteroid continues to orbit the Sun, the surface may slide, renewing itself over tens of thousands of years.

It is reported that the asteroid will be visible to the naked eye when it flies past the Earth.

The study, accepted by The Planetary Science Journal, is available on arXiv.