Hiroshima’s Atomic Bomb 90-times Class Asteroids Grazed by Earth…Eight Years Later

It was revealed that the asteroid Apophis approached and passed through the Earth on the 6th. It is analyzed that if the asteroid collided with the Earth, it would have delivered an impact of 90 times the level of the Hiroshima atomic bomb.

The asteroid is predicted to reapproach closer to Earth in eight years.

According to the Korea Astronomical Research Institute on the 11th, it was belatedly confirmed that the asteroid Apophis, which may threaten the Earth’s collision, has approached and passed by the Earth. The asteroid Apophis approached about 16.8 million km from Earth at 10:15 am (Korean time) on the 6th, and passed through the vicinity of the Earth at a speed of 4.58 km per second.

Since its first discovery in 2004, Apophis is a celestial object that has been steadily raised with the possibility of a collision with the Earth. It is similar in size to Seoul 63 City (249m) and N Seoul Tower (233m).

Apophis is closer to Earth at 6:46 on April 14, 2029. At this time, the distance between Apophis and Earth is only 37,000 km. This is about 4000 km closer than geostationary satellites such as the Cheonrian and Mugunghwa satellites. The probability that an Apophis-sized asteroid will get this close to Earth is about once every 1000 years.

When a 100m asteroid collides with the Earth, 80 megatons of energy is generated (1 megaton is the power of 1 million tons of TNT). The 300m diameter asteroid has a collision energy of 2000 megatons. If a 370m apophis falls on the earth, it could cause a tsunami in many parts of the world’s oceans.

Senior Researcher Kim Myung-jin said, “The proximity of an asteroid to the Earth means that it is a good condition for the probe to reach the asteroid with little fuel. “We are doing asteroid tracking research.”