“Asteroid Apophis: Will it Hit the Earth?”
Open House Night in Astronomy, Thursday, February 21
On January 28, 2008, asteroid 2007 TU24 came within 300,000 miles of Earth—a safe distance, but one that reminds us that ours is not the only chunk of rock hurtling around the sun. Nearly 1,000 potentially hazardous asteroids, or PHAs, orbit the sun in the vicinity of Earth; one, Apophis, will be the subject of the next Open House Night in Astronomy at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College.
Darren Williams, an associate professor of physics and astronomy at the college, will present the one-hour program “Asteroid Apophis: Will it Hit the Earth?” at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 21, in 101 Otto Behrend Science Building. His free lecture is intended for a non-technical audience and suitable for children at least 8 years of age; astronomical observing at the college’s Mehalso Observatory will follow, weather permitting.
Apophis is 400 meters wide and possibly the most dangerous PHA in our solar system. Discovered in 2004 and named for a villain from the sci-fi television series Stargate SG-1, Apophis will come within 20,000 miles of Earth—beneath the orbit of some artificial satellites—on April 13, 2029, and again in April 2036. Although the probability of impact on either date is extremely small, the uncertainty in measurement of the asteroid’s orbit means a collision with Earth cannot be ruled out. Williams will discuss what is known about Apophis, and what might be done to deflect this or another PHA before it strikes Earth.
Open House Nights in Astronomy are sponsored by the Penn State Behrend School of Science.