A Cool Beginning To A Fiery End?ASTEROID'S

WHAT IS AN ASTEROID?

• An asteroid, is a small celestial body which orbits around the sun, along with other objects in the solar system such as planets.

• However, unlike the planets, asteroids are typically very small, with only a handful of asteroids reaching large sizes.

• The largest known asteroid is Ceres, which is 580 in diameter.

• After the discovery of Ceres in 1801, many other asteroids were discovered, since astronomers knew what to look for. Thousands of new asteroids are discovered every year.

WHAT’S IT MADE OF?

Asteroids are irregularly shaped collections of various materials,

including metallic and Carbonaceous minerals.

When a fragment of an asteroid collides with the Earth's atmosphere, it is termed a meteoroid. The flash of light which characterizes a meteor is caused by vaporization when the chunk of foreign material hits the atmosphere. Other foreign bodies which enter the Earth's atmosphere are also called meteoroids.

Relation to a meteoroid

CERES (PLANET OR ASTEROID?)

• On January 1, 1801, the Sicilian astronomer Giuseppe Piazzi at the Palermo Observatory discovered a moving object in the region.

• Scientists of the period first thought Ceres was the missing planet but determined it was too small to be a planet.

• As more objects were discovered in this region, they became known as Asteroids or Minor Planets.

• Ceres orbits the sun once every 4.6 years at a

distance of 257 million miles, and it spins on its axis once every nine hours.

• Although Ceres has been observed for 200 years there is still a debate about its exact size.

CERES

ASTEROID BELT• When the solar system first

started to form, creating the planets, asteroids also formed. The bulk of the asteroids in the solar system are concentrated in an “asteroid belt” which is located between Mars and Jupiter.

• It is believed that the immense gravitational pull of Jupiter may have influenced the formation of the asteroids, which might have otherwise pulled together to form a large planet. Within the asteroid belt, most asteroids orbit in groups, which are named after the largest or most notable asteroid in the group.

ASTEROIDS NOT IN THE BELT?

• Other asteroids can be found scattered throughout the solar system. The exact orbital patterns of every asteroid discovered has not been determined, but, like many other celestial bodies, asteroids have set and specific orbits

• Comets are the exception to this rule, with highly irregular orbits which can make forecasting their movements diff icult .

. Some asteroids also come very close to Earth, and it is believed that collisions with major asteroids may be behind several important events in Earth's geological history

APOPHIS

Apophis is an asteroid with an slightly offset orbit to that of Earth's. Discovered in June 2004, astronomers have determined that it will make a very close flyby on Friday, April 13th, 2029, where it will pass within 5 Earth diameters of us. The exact path the asteroid follows on its flyby in April 2029 will determine whether it smashes into Earth seven years later.

APOPHIS• There is a 1 in 45,000 chance that Apophis will impact Earth in 2036.

“Apophis will approach Earth at a distance of 37,000-38,000 kilometers on April 13, 2029; Its likely collision with Earth may occur on April 13, 2036.” Said by Professor Leonid Sokolov of the St. Petersburg State University.

Asteroid 99942 Apophis was first discovered to be in the Earth's impact zone back in 2004, and at roughly 300m wide, is estimated to be able to hit the Earth with enormous force

More science puts Australia well out of the path of possible destruction - Apophis could land anywhere in a streak that runs from the Middle East through the tip of South America to the west coast of Africa, Which is not to say we won't feel its impact. A simulation tool devised by the University of Southampton in the UK shows that, depending on where it hits, it could cause up to 10 million deaths.

SUN

One Month Before Close Encounter!

IN THE END• From prior observations, astronomers calculated a 1-in-

200 chance that the asteroid would hit the Earth. If this was true, then this asteroid had become the most dangerous asteroid ever found. After taking more observations , the chances climbed even higher and by the end of December 2004, the chances of the Earth being struck by this asteroid climbed as high as 1-in-37.

• Normally, when more observations are taken the chances of this kind of collision decrease. Not so here, it seemed like this thing was really going to hit us.

• Luckily, some other observations from other sources were located and they allowed astronomers to calculate a more precise orbit. From those images they were able to conclude that there was no way that Apophis was going to hit the Earth in 2026.