Caught this yesterday from a post of the Bad Astronomer. Its about Astrophysicist Dr. Neil DeGrasse Tyson answering a question from a reader "What is the most astounding fact you can share with us about the Universe?" This is his answer.
The way this video was put together, made me remember how it felt like when I first learned about the same fact from reading a book years ago.
Credits and thanks to the maker and uploader: Max Schlickenmeyer
Great graphics and perfect music. Please watch in full screen to appreciate.
Apophis is a name later given to an asteriod provisionally named 2004 MN4. It was renamed in 2005 taking the Greek name of the Egyptian god Apep- The Uncreator. Now, why scare people by giving that name? Why not name it like other asteriods ( Polly, Barney)?
Well, turns out there was a reason to scare. Upon its discovery in 2004, it was briefly estimated to have a 2.7% chance of impacting the Earth in 2029. Later calculations showed that that there are no impact risks and instead it will pass Earth below the orbits of our communication satellites on April 13, 2029, However it will return for another close Earth approach in April 13, 2036. During which it will have a small risk of hitting our planet.
To date, scientists are still trying to get better data to predict the precise orbit after 2029. Russian and American astronomers already had and still have disagreements on whether it will hit Earth in 2036 or not. But whichever it is, the danger that asteroids like Apophis hitting our planet very is real (real than those other doomsday scares like the Mayan calendar and 2012). And until we get better data later this year, next year or on 2029, to project impact or not, we will have to prepare for the bad case scenario.
Can we stop it?
The good news is we definitely have better chances than the poor dinosaurs had. We have enough knowledge and technology today to give us a fighting chance to stop an asteroid collision.
The 1998 film Armageddon always comes first to my mind. - Using a nuclear weapon to alter it's course. Although lots of scienctists today would agree it is not really a viable solution. The problem of one body hitting Earth might only be multiplied if the body breaks up into many objects aiming for the planet.
Another popular thought is to use gravity. The theory is that if we are able to place a craft at a certain distance from an asteroid, and use the craft’s thrusters to "tug" the asteroid, it would alter the course enough to steer the body away from earth.
Another of the more popular theories is using the Yarkovsky Effect. An accelerated beam of solar energy would heat the asteriod enough that when it cools off, it would alter the course.
There are lots of other thoughts on how prevent asteroid hitting earth some are not in the mainstream but thanks to scientists(and other geeks and geniuses) who comes up with the ideas.
While reading about recent blogs and postings about the recent birthday of Carl Sagan(November 9, 2010), I rather came across this video upload the other day featuring famous scientists of today - Neil deGrasse Tyson, Brian Cox, and Carolyn Porco. The voices and videos were taken, edited and put together from their tv programs (My Favorite Universe, BBC Wonders of the Solar System, Carolyn Porco TED talk, NatGeo "Guide to the Planets"). To me, who is new to this type of voice editing or that this is even possible, this is so amazing, real genius.
Apparently this is just the latest and of a series of Carl Sagan tribute music videos created from this website: http://symphonyofscience.com/. Please check them out, especially the one featuring Morgan Freeman from Discovery Channels Through the Wormhole.
Thanks to the creator of these musical projects. It's a fascinating way to present the science of astronomy in a form which could inspire others and more to those who are already facinated like myself.
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