Huge asteroid 'less likely' to hit Earth in 2036

Threat that a massive asteroid could slam into Earth in 2036

• Space agency Nasa has declared it's now looking less likely that a massive asteroid will hit Earth in 2036.
• US space agency Nasa has sharply downgraded the threat that a massive asteroid could slam into Earth in 2036.
• Apophis was discovered in 2004 and is two-and-a-half times the size of an American football field.
• It captured widespread attention after calculations suggested it might pose a threat to the planet.
• There is now a one-in-250,000 chance of a collision with Earth in 2036, according to new calculations by Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California.
• This was sharply down from an earlier estimate of a one-in-45,000 chance.
• At first, astronomers feared the 885ft (270-metre) asteroid had a 2.7% chance of colliding with Earth in 2029.
• Later calculations ruled out a collision in that year, leaving 2036 as the encounter posing the greatest danger.
• Apophis is now expected to sail about 18,300 miles (29,450km) above Earth's surface on April 13, 2029 - closer than some satellites.
• Even though scientists are certain it will not hit the Earth, the Los Angeles Times said they are less sure about how the close approach will affect the asteroid's orbit.
• The deflection caused by the 2029 encounter will be significant," Steve Chesley, of JPL's Near-Earth Object Programme office, told the paper.
• "We're not worried about 2029. We're worried about its future trajectory."
• JPL is to present its results at the conference of the American Astronomical Society in Puerto Rico on October 8.
• The refined orbital determination further reinforces that Apophis is an asteroid we can look to as an opportunity for exciting science and not something that should be feared," Near-Earth office manager Don Yeomans said.

By www.SUPERSTARRAJNI.com