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Happy Thursday, everyone!
Today’s topics include asteroids and meteor showers. Strange things abound!
That said, let’s dive into the odd and obscure.
Egyptian god of chaos… NOT
An asteroid named for the Egyptian god of chaos, Apophis, won’t bring chaos to Earth anytime soon.
When first discovered in 2004, this asteroid was believed to be on a collision course with Earth as early as 2029.
Later observations changed that estimate of potential impact risk to 2036; further data pushed it out to 2068.
However, in March 2021, radar observations concluded that not only would Apophis not impact Earth in 2068, but the extreme precision of the readings has ruled out any possibility of impact for at least the next hundred years.
Whew! What a relief.
But still, Apophis will pass close enough to Earth that we can get some really great research done.
NASA has a spacecraft initially tasked with studying the asteroid Bennu (OSIRIS-Rex) that will be redirected to study Apophis. It will be renamed the OSIRIS-APophis EXplorer (OSIRIS-APEX).
In April 2029, OSIRIS-APEX will fly by the asteroid for photographic analysis. In June of the same year, it will rendezvous with the asteroid for closer study, although, unlike Bennu, it will not take samples.
Who knew the things that happen in near-Earth orbit?
Falling Space Rocks
Two meteor showers termed “sisters” are currently in the night sky.
The Southern Taurids and the Northern Taurids are both raining debris into Earth’s atmosphere this month.
The peak of the Southern Taurid shower was November 5th, and the peak of the Northern Taurid shower will occur on the 12th.
While these are considered the zenith of the showers, with the most meteors per hour, they will continue to drop rock toward Earth into December.
These showers originate from a common source, the comet Encke.
They are both named Taurids because, when viewed from Earth, they appear to come from different parts of the Taurus constellation.
These meteors are often referred to as “shooting stars” because they are superheated as they enter Earth’s atmosphere, causing the air around them to glow and leaving a short trail of fire behind them.
Meteor showers are typically most visible after midnight before dawn. To see them best, find a place away from city lights and extinguish any nearby light sources.
Following the Taurids light display, watch for the Leonids! They will peak in the early hours of November 17th.
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