An Asteroid Larger Than Two Football Fields Could Hit The Earth in 2036

Six years ago, NASA sent out an alert to the effect that there was a high likelihood that Asteroid Apophis which is slightly larger than two football pitches could hit planet earth in 2029. They however later retracted their words and reassured the world that this danger was very unlikely to happen.

Just as the world was beginning to relax, Russian Scientists have come out with the latest announcement based on their Observatory stations that Asteroid Apophis will indeed collide with our planet on exactly 13th April 2036. We must not forget that America and Russia are still some of the best scientists on our planet hence, whatever they say of scientific significance cannot just  be brushed aside as some kind of untruth. This leaves the fundamental question lingering-who is right on this doomsday message and how scared should the world be?

American Scientists continue to insist, the chances of Apophis hitting the earth is in the probability of 1:250,000. The Russians however argue that the 270 meter long Asteroid Apophis will travel through a gravitational keyhole, a definite region in space only slightly larger than the asteroid itself. This according to the Russians puts the possibility of the Earth’s gravity tweaking Apophis’ path and causing a collision to be very high likelihood.

Both Americans and Russians agree that in April 13, 2029, Apophis will fly very close to the earth but will not hit the earth on that date, however,  the new dimensions the Russians have brought out, where this asteroid will go through a key hole during its close approach to our planet, makes the possibility of Apophis hitting the earth on April 13th 2036 very likely.

To the Americans however, they believe Apophis will make a fairly close approach to Earth in December 2012 or early 2013. Now this is probably the closest scientists have come to openly admitting that our planet is being approached by a dangerous and threatening asteroid. They however insist that they are extensively observing the approaching asteroid with ground-based optical telescopes and radar systems. Should it be confirmed that Apophis seems to be heading on a destructive path, NASA will devise a scheme and machinery necessary to change the asteroid’s orbit  and one which has already been experimented involves running a spacecraft towards the hurtling rock to cause it to veer off its dangerous path and this will not only save the earth in 2012, but will also substantially decrease the probability of a collision in April 2036 to almost  zero. With such explanation, American scientists insist, there is no threat to planet earth in 2012, 2029 or 2036. We shall watch them and pray that we stay alive to go through the safe passage of these predictions.