A video of astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson from his 2007 interview on Late Night With Conan O’Brien resurfaced recently and shed some light on the possible impact of the asteroid Apophis. Asteroids, sometimes called minor planets, are small solid objects made of rock that did not become planets when the solar system was formed. When asked about the discovery of Apophis, Tyson described what could happen in the event it hit Earth.
Taking the Pacific Ocean to draw home his point, he said, the impact, should it ever occur, would create a large hole with a diameter of about three miles stretching three miles deep into the ocean, in the process generating water waves that could wreak havoc on coastal communities, including homes in Malibu.
During the interview, Tyson claimed that the possibility of Apophis impacting the Earth on April 13, 2036, was one in 45,000.
He also wanted to assure the viewer that scientists were keeping track of the asteroid, and if it were to be on course for an impact with Earth, there would be enough notice.
“There’s a one in 45,000 chance that it will hit. We’ve got top people working on this problem.”
Tyson also mentioned that Apophis would be making a very close approach to Earth in the year 2029, which was later verified by NASA. It’s likely to come as close as about 31,860 kilometres to the Earth on April 13 in the year 2029.
This object was discovered by astronomers from Kitt Peak National Observatory in the year 2004, and NASA has keenly been monitoring Apophis afterwards.
An asteroid of this size requires a special approach, and the space agency has already appointed a spacecraft called OSIRIS-APEX to observe the asteroid during its flyby in 2029 and plans to embark on an intensive mapping of the asteroid for about 18 months.
NASA has dismissed the possibility of the asteroid hitting the Earth both in 2029 and 2036. However, they have found that there is an extremely low probability of collision under certain conditions as per the latest data.
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