On the
night between 5 and 6 March,
the Earth prepares to say goodbye to the asteroid
Apophis
, which became famous for its
feared impact
on our planet in
2029
.
A
danger averted
by experts, who foresee only a close passage for that year.
In order to better prepare for the appointment in eight years, the scholars in the coming days are therefore preparing to observe and study this cosmic stone.
Among them, the astrophysicist Gianluca Masi, who will organize with the Virtual Telescope Project, of which he is responsible, a
live online
at
1
am
on 6 March
, Italian time, broadcast on the ANSA Science and Technology channel.
“Discovered in
2004
, Apophis is undoubtedly
the most famous
of the so-called
potentially dangerous asteroids
.
It is a celestial body of important dimensions, estimated at about
350 meters
”, Masi told ANSA.
“Apophis is a relatively close passage because the asteroid will greet the Earth from a distance of
about 16 million kilometers
,
roughly
one-tenth of that between the Earth and the Sun.
For the astrophysicist, "the case of the epic
passage of April 2029
, when Apophis will pass closer than the geostationary satellites, at
about 30,000 kilometers
, is different, so much so that on that occasion it will be possible to see it even at
naked eye
.
After the record transition of 2029 - concludes the astrophysicist - Apophis will return to find the Earth, first in
2036
and then in the distant
2068
”.