WE WERE WRONG: Brace Yourselves for Apophis’ Impact on Earth
The universe is full of surprises, and one of them is hurtling towards us. We thought Apophis, the asteroid named after the Egyptian god of Destruction, was not going to hit us in April 2029, but recent reports suggest otherwise. As much as we’d like to brush it off, asteroid impacts are a part of our planet’s history, and we need to take them seriously if we want to secure our future.
Asteroids are more common than we think. Although most of them burn up in the atmosphere before hitting the ground, Apophis is an exception. The probability of it hitting Earth was low, but we can’t ignore that it is significantly closer than other asteroids of its size. It is about four times larger than NASA’s Artemis one rocket and could potentially impact Earth at a distance of only 20,000 miles! That is closer than the moon.
However, don’t panic just yet. We know that NASA isn’t telling us everything they have under their sleeves, and they are doing everything in their power to prevent a disaster. Our chances are much better than they were in the past, but we need to do our part as well.
We are lucky to live in a time where technology has advanced so much that we can deflect asteroids away from Earth. We need to work towards creating a defense plan, finding ways to identify and monitor incoming asteroids, and developing the technology to redirect them. This will not only protect us from a potential impact but also our civilization and the entire planet.
The fate of the world is in our hands. Let’s not repeat the mistakes of the past and take action. We need to support our space agencies and researchers, educate ourselves and others about the dangers of asteroids, and be prepared. We were wrong about Apophis not striking Earth. Let’s make sure we are not wrong about our ability to prevent it.
