Killer Asteroid That Could Strike Earth In 2028 Makes First Pass Near Planet

Killer Asteroid That Could Strike Earth In 2028 Makes First Pass Near Planet
www.inquisitr.com...

An enormous asteroid that could strike the Earth in 2028 is making its first pass near the planet this week, and doomsayers are using it as proof we need to build a planetary defense system.

The potentially killer space rock measures about a mile in diameter and will pass safely outside the moon’s orbit this week, but it’s scheduled to return again sometime in 2028 when it will be much closer to Earth.

Dubbed 1997 XF11, the meandering asteroid will pass close to 27 million miles from Earth this week, along with several other space rocks scheduled to come near the planet. Next time, however, its orbit will be much more erratic, making it more likely to strike the planet and cause an extinction level event.

Russia is planning to shoot Cold War-era ballistic missiles at any asteroid near enough to threaten the planet. It’s the country most affected by falling space rocks; almost every 50 years Russian cities have been damaged by asteroids. The last one came in 2013 when a 65-foot-wide rock dropped out of the Chelyabinsk sky and injured more than 1,000 people, causing thousands of dollars in damage.

credit to Bigburgh for adding official NASA source to thread
neo.jpl.nasa.gov...

On October 26, 2028, the near-Earth asteroid 1997 XF11 will make a close approach to Earth. Although initial reports indicated an extremely close passage, the current analyses predict an approach distance of 0.00636 AU (951,000 km, 591,000 mi) or about 2.5 times farther than the moon. The probability that the asteroid will impact the Earth is effectively zero.

The asteroid's orbit was derived from about 100 observations taken since that time as well as 4 pre-discovery observations taken in 1990 by Eleanor Helin, Ken Lawrence, and Brian Roman as a part of the Palomar Planet Crossing Asteroid Survey.

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So 2028 is the new 2012! Time to start living up a life if the World Ends on 2028...

I just hope that this will just be another near miss event but you never know.

Good to know Russia still has a huge stock pile of rockets...definitely makes people feel safe(r)??? lol

a reply to: Skywatcher2011

How about giving us a REAL source instead of from an entertainment tabloid?

ohhh well, we're all going to die..... again.

Here's the official NASA write up.

neo.jpl.nasa.gov...

Per NASA...

"On October 26, 2028, the near-Earth asteroid 1997 XF11 will make a close approach to Earth. Although initial reports indicated an extremely close passage, the current analyses predict an approach distance of 0.00636 AU (951,000 km, 591,000 mi) or about 2.5 times farther than the moon. The probability that the asteroid will impact the Earth is effectively zero."

Yep, not happening folks...

a reply to: Bigburgh

Thank you for the added source! May I edit my OP and credit you with the source info?

a reply to: Skywatcher2011

Sure😊

I hope Bruce Willis is still kicking in 2028.

Is that the asteroid christened Apophis? just wondering.

a reply to: Skywatcher2011

I guess its a good thing that asteroids are not just bare lumps of rock. They are covered in a regolith material which will sandblast anything it comes into contact with. If this asteroid gets close enough earth to be effected by its irregular gravitational and electrostatic forces, the dust from asteroid will trigger atmospheres that will damage communications, reduce visibility, and kill everyone on earth.

originally posted by: Bigburgh
Here's the official NASA write up.

neo.jpl.nasa.gov...

Per NASA...

"On October 26, 2028, the near-Earth asteroid 1997 XF11 will make a close approach to Earth. Although initial reports indicated an extremely close passage, the current analyses predict an approach distance of 0.00636 AU (951,000 km, 591,000 mi) or about 2.5 times farther than the moon. The probability that the asteroid will impact the Earth is effectively zero."

In astronomical terms thats a very near miss!

sigh ...missed chance to take it out of orbit now....

Too bad its predicted to miss us. This planet is so full of vile hatefulness it needs a good reset

originally posted by: pikestaff
Is that the asteroid christened Apophis? just wondering.

No, in 2029 and 2036 passes for 99942-Apophis 😊
neo.jpl.nasa.gov...

You'd need binoculars to see it during the close approach in 2028. Apophis, on the other hand, will be visible to the naked eye, so I'd put more excitement into that.

a reply to: Bigburgh

Help me out here, this is coming in 2028, and Apophis is due in 2029
Why would they name it Apophis (Apep - Egyptian Demon)

Are they trying to tell us something? Is this why they're building bunkers.


en.wikipedia.org...

Apep (/ˈæˌpɛp/ or /ˈɑːˌpɛp/) or Apophis (/ˈæpəfᵻs/; Ancient Greek: Ἄποφις; also spelled Apepi or Aapep) was the ancient Egyptian deity who embodied chaos (ı͗zft in Egyptian) and was thus the opponent of light and Ma'at (order/truth). He appears in art as a giant serpent. His name is reconstructed by Egyptologists as *ʻAʼpāpī, as it was written ꜥꜣpp(y) and survived in later Coptic as Ⲁⲫⲱⲫ Aphōph.[1] Apep was first mentioned in the Eighth Dynasty, and he was honored in the names of the Fourteenth Dynasty king 'Apepi and of the Greater Hyksos king Apophis.

a reply to: TheConstruKctionofLight

Here's how the astronomers went about naming it apophis. They were fans of the show "Stargate"...

From wiki..
Apophis was discovered on June 19, 2004, by Roy A. Tucker, David J. Tholen and Fabrizio Bernardi at the Kitt Peak National Observatory.[1] On December 21, 2004, Apophis passed 0.0963 AU (14,410,000 km; 8,950,000 mi) from Earth.[1] Precovery observations from March 15, 2004, were identified on December 27, and an improved orbit solution was computed.[13][14] Radar astrometry in January 2005 further refined its orbit solution.[15][16]

When first discovered, the object received the provisional designation 2004 MN4, and news and scientific articles about it referred to it by that name. When its orbit was sufficiently well calculated, it received the permanent number 99942 (on June 24, 2005). Receiving a permanent number made it eligible for naming, and it received the name "Apophis" on July 19, 2005.[17] Apophis is the Greek name of an enemy of the Ancient Egyptian sun-god Ra: Apep, the Uncreator, an evil serpent that dwells in the eternal darkness of the Duat and tries to swallow Ra during his nightly passage. Apep is held at bay by Set, the Ancient Egyptian god of storms and the desert. David J. Tholen and Tucker—two of the co-discoverers of the asteroid—are reportedly fans of the TV series Stargate SG-1. One of the show's persistent villains is an alien named Apophis. In the fictional world of the show, the alien's backstory was that he had lived on Earth during ancient times and had posed as a god, thereby giving rise to the myth of the Egyptian god of the same name.[17]

Apparently astronauts can't see asteroids from space, unless looking at them through the atmosphere

originally posted by: pikestaff
Is that the asteroid christened Apophis? just wondering.

Same thing I was wondering..

originally posted by: MarsIsRed
Apparently astronauts can't see asteroids from space, unless looking at them through the atmosphere

They can see asteroids from space. WISE infrared space telescope saw quite a few of them.