The Apophis Apocalips

Tin foil hat time. On 2004-12-26, based on 169 observations total over an observation arc of 190 days, raised the impact probability of Apophis 99942 - an approximately 340 meter asteroid or NEO (Near Earth Object)- colliding with Earth on April 13th 2029 to 1-in-37 (2.7%), corresponding to an unprecedented Torino Rating of 4. The following afternoon, on 2004-12-27, precovery imaging supplied by the Kitt Peak Observatory [Observer: Gleason A.E.; Measurers: Larson, Jeffery A. , Descour Anne S.] dating at the earliest back to 2004-03-15, increased the span of observation to 287 days (+97), ruling out the possibility of impact; these additional 97 days have subsequently been incorporated into future orbital estimations.

One particular person of interest in this chapter is Jeffery A. Larsen, research professor with the physics department at the United States Naval Academy, listed on Google Scholar as being involved in US National Security and Nuclear Weapons, who has co-authored such papers as Anti-Satellite Weapons [JW Dietrich, JA Larsen - 2018], Matched Filter Processing for Asteroid Detection [w/ Gural Peter S., Gleason Arianna E.; Received 2004-03-09, just six days before the earliest dated precovery imagery for Apophis' revised trajectory]; and Near Earth Asteroid 2012TC4 Observing Campaign: Results from a global planetary defense exercise.

This is perhaps unsurprising. The military-intelligence-industrial complex developed the atomic bomb and the precursor to the Internet (ARPANET) in the interest of national security. Why should hazardous NEOs and the corresponding response management be outside their purview?

Short answer: It isn't.

Long answer: Given that the initial estimates placed the path of potential impact across the contiguous United States [an oceanic point of impact is more likely which would result in generation of tsunamis inundating densely populated coastal areas], if it were disclosed that 99942 Apophis was on a collision course, global market futures would be placed in immediate jeopardy with serious implications on derivatives and underlying assets particularly sensitive to massive Teraton asteroid impacts - potential losses doubtlessly being in the tens of trillions. Even if a workable solution i.e. asteroid deflection was to be publicly proposed and implemented, it would take many years to literally get off the ground and still have a low probability of success. During which time, markets would start to over-optimistically hedge their bets on what might be little more than false hope, exacerbating the economic fallout should the intervention fail.

The alternative is anticipate the detection of hazardous NEOs in the immediate future, given continued technological improvements in optics and data processing, and have the military-intelligence apparatus entrench itself within astronomy circles, which on the surface will appear as some collaborative effort to advance scientific interests [e.g. research grants, access to equipment and additional manpower in cataloguing of objects, etc.]. However, once such a potentially devastating large NEO has been detected on a presumptive collision course, an operation will be undertaken covertly within days to determine if impact is likely, and if confirmed to be so thereupon convincingly fabricate data sets and precovery imagery as required [using the selfsame software applications purposed to clean up or enhance imagery] such as to result in the conclusion among members of the astronomical field that the object in question poses no future threat, while classified research into the particular NEOs characteristics, composition, orbital path, and possible deflection methods continues unbeknownst to those outside the compartmentalized network, paralleling the work done in the civilian sector in this area. There exists a limited number of observatories that possess telescopes powerful and sensitive enough to detect hazardous NEOs candidates and assess their properties to any significant extent, so the matter of assigning operatives [especially one with some scientific background in the field like J.A. Larsen] to get ahead of the curve on discoveries and monitor astronomers and associated researchers and technicians for any unwanted curiosity that might result in compromising disclosures is relatively straightforward.

a reply to: WaterproofedCrackpot

HUH?!

Not sure what all that is saying. Looks like you copy and pasted from some technical bulleting. A 1 in 37 chance when? All the dates I saw on your post have passed and there obviously was no impact. Are they saying it has a chance at some future date? If so when?

Original post has been updated for clarification
a reply to: norhoc

a reply to: WaterproofedCrackpot

I’ve said this on other threads here on ATS, but I’ve been thinking for weeks that maybe all this hysteria and shenanigans by governments around the world is nothing but a smokescreen because they know that Apophis will hit Earth.


There are two articles on another website that talks about Apophis [mysteriousuniverse.org...]. The first one says it just might hit; the second article may eerily echo what you posted, above [mysteriousuniverse.org...].

I personally think Apophis will hit MUCH earlier than the predicted 2068. Hence, the COVID hysteria. Only time will tell.

Fact of the matter is....if it hits, it hits. There is nothing we can do and the best you can hope for is to be at ground zero to just get it over with. I like a good Doom Porn thread, but there's no sense worrying about it when there's nothing we could do. We live in a shooting gallery and it's only a matter of time.

What I find intriguing is how they could manage to cover up an imminent asteroid impact, the nature of doing so even before one such asteroid is detected. If anything, I think it can be demonstrably shown that the international intelligence apparatus has a vested interest in various threats from outer space no matter how seemingly remote the possibilities are that they will occur. a reply to: Thoughtcrime

originally posted by: DAVID64
Fact of the matter is....if it hits, it hits. There is nothing we can do and the best you can hope for is to be at ground zero to just get it over with. I like a good Doom Porn thread, but there's no sense worrying about it when there's nothing we could do. We live in a shooting gallery and it's only a matter of time.

If you’re asking me, I’m not worried about it. You’re right. In fact, I almost welcome it at this point! What a beautiful, f-d up world we live in!

After reading up a bit on Apophis, something struck me.

It wasn't observable from 2008-2011 because of the sun. I remember from reading old stuff on ATS, the Niburu saga. Niburu coming from behind the sun, thus not being visible until very close, was part of that story for 2012.

Does anyone know if the Niburu saga contained that "coming from behind the sun" part before or after 2004 already? Personally I lean towards the idea that Apophis may could be the source for some of the rumors. May even have been intentionally woven into the story, to lend it more credibility.

Or, because conspiracy, to rob it from every credibility.

originally posted by: WaterproofedCrackpot
What I find intriguing is how they could manage to cover up an imminent asteroid impact, the nature of doing so even before one such asteroid is detected. If anything, I think it can be demonstrably shown that the international intelligence apparatus has a vested interest in various threats from outer space no matter how seemingly remote the possibilities are that they will occur. a reply to: Thoughtcrime

True. Amateur astronomers have discovered many of the comets and asteroids lately—even another planet around Jupiter. The pros can’t hide everything. But the international intelligence apparatus CAN monitor and block government astrological agencies. Why? For the same reason that famous Brookings Institute report recommended the U.S. government NOT confirm the existence of ETs: public panic and possible collapse of civilization around the world.

a reply to: Thoughtcrime

Something impacting the planet is a certainty at some point.

Should prolly decentralize automated self-sufficient systems and stuff

I cant imagine why they would put up a "smokescreen" at all though honestly. Why bother? Just keep on doing normal stuff until its burning in the atmosphere. Unless, of course, the idea is to make an impact as bad as possible for humanity, etc. Then.. maybe. Even then, there would be significantly more effective options. ETA: I do suppose there is the possibility that all recent events were supposed to be some type of preparing of the world, but they screwed everything up in some of the worst ways possible.

If we are talking about something space related, I think it would have to be something else.



Questions for anyone who reads this:

Do you want the world as we know it to end?
What have you personally done to try to make the world a better place?

Not so much block agencies but steer them in the direction that suits their broader interests. They have been doing it for decades across many domains of scientific research, be it the Human Genome Project or DeepMind. a reply to: Thoughtcrime

a reply to: WaterproofedCrackpot

Controlled distraction.

When you have something as momentous as Covid — one must look at what the other hand is doing.

I don’t know if Apophis is it, but there is definitely something else going on behind the scenes to perpetuate the Corona hoax.

I’m thinking it’s a good time to invest some money in survival company stocks.

My eyes and ears will be keenly observing for signs of the main event — because Covid ain’t it!

a reply to: WaterproofedCrackpot

What is intriguing is the systematic taking-down of all or most of the astro telescope labs worldwide. IE Astronomical Observatories
Arecibo had an 'accident' and is decommissioned. .
Sunspot, New Mexico had a security issue and supposed 'child porn' so the Feds came in and wiped data.

www.intellihub.com...

astronomy.com...

and way more.

originally posted by: DAVID64
Fact of the matter is....if it hits, it hits. There is nothing we can do and the best you can hope for is to be at ground zero to just get it over with. I like a good Doom Porn thread, but there's no sense worrying about it when there's nothing we could do. We live in a shooting gallery and it's only a matter of time.

That’s nonsense.

During the 35+ years I worked for NASA, asteroid defense was one of the things I worked on. This problem has been studied by the best and brightest for several decades now. It’s actually quite easy in principle to do something about it. All you have to do is crash a small spacecraft into it and change its velocity by a very tiny amount. If you do that maybe 10 years before a predicted impact, there’s plenty of time to either speed it up or slow it down enough to miss the Earth entirely.

The trick is to be able to predict a probable impact at least several decades in the future. This is exactly why NASA, along with other agencies recommended, about 30 years ago, a program to identify and track the most threatening Near Earth Asteroids. By 2000 that program had identified about half of the expected number of NEAs 1 km in diameter or larger. Today, we’ve identified more than 90% of those big ones and are now moving on to the smaller ones, like Apophis.

NASA is currently developing a small spacecraft mission to go out and do an experiment to change the velocity of a small asteroid.

www.space.com...

It’s supposed to launch in a few months and arrive at the target asteroid about a year from now.

originally posted by: Serdgiam
Questions for anyone who reads this:

Do you want the world as we know it to end?

Kind of. If you mean life, no, if you mean current political & financial power structures, yes.

What have you personally done to try to make the world a better place?

Won't list up but the answer is: Never enough.

originally posted by: ThatDamnDuckAgain
Kind of. If you mean life, no, if you mean current political & financial power structures, yes.

For whatever reason, very few of those structures have ever really targeted the Iron Law of Oligarchy. The founding of the United States did, at least to an extent and within the limited context of its time.

As a totally random guess, it would seem that actually eliminating human life would necessitate Gaia opening her tectonic maws and swallowing everything whole. Perhaps that affords some security, in that it would also start everything over. Silly scenario, I know.

There are plenty of ways to actually prepare for an impact, and it just so happens that they are the same things that build a foundation that is hardened against the Iron Law of Oligarchy in ways that have never before been possible.

While it would undoubtedly introduce problems of its own, actually using decentralized automation addresses such a vast scope of modern and long-term issues in our civilization that is nothing short of staggering. Perhaps to the degree that it is intimidating.

Won't list up but the answer is: Never enough.

Perhaps the full extent of what we do is never obvious. A kind word there, a random utterance there, a piece of writing here, providing a springboard for a whimsical denizen of the interweb to rant here (;P), decentralized technology errywhere.. they can all change the course of life on this planet for the better.

So much potential on this planet to achieve wonderful things. Just have to deploy the systems that build the foundation to do so. Which already exist. And can literally be bought on Amazon and eBay. Well.. mostly..

a reply to: Thoughtcrime

I don't think anyone in a position of making country-level decisions bases their decisions on 60 years old sociological information, as things in society have change a lot since then.

PS: I suppose you meant "government astronomical agencies", not "government astrological agencies".

What if it isn’t the Earth we need to worry about being impacted? What if something hit the moon hard enough that the tidal lock with the Earth was affected? Possibly causing cataclysmic waves on Earth without even touching us.

Apophis’s next close encounter with us is April 13th 2029...on a Friday no less.

a reply to: KKLOCO
I agree with you 100% whatever c9vud can accomplish is just a bonus. But there is somethin very nefarious going down behind our backs while everyone is blinded by the "corona"

Theoretically doable. Here is a NASA proposal for a gravity tractor with Apophis itself being used as an example. Even Russia has shown interest in the technology well before the Chelayabinsk meteor.

a reply to: 1947boomer