Technology!!

Although a meeting with the asteroid Apophis is likely to happen, we should not worry about anything. Technology is advancing each day and by the year of 2036 we will likely have a deflector missile that can knock the asteroid out of its orbit JUST to the side!

According to Chris Impey, who is the deputy head of one of the largest astronomy departments in the country and also my teacher for the class I'm doing this project on, in case we run out of luck and an asteroid gets in our path: "Astronomers will crunch the numbers to calculate the orbit(of the asteroid). Even if a collision is likely, we'll have a couple of years' notice. Time enough to dust off the nuclear arsenals and send out missiles to do our bidding. Not a direct hit. A gentle kiss shot, glancing it off to the side. Nice."

Chicxulub Crater

Chicxulub crater, the impact crater blamed to have caused the extinction of the dinosaurs is located in the Yucatan Peninsula just east of the Gulf of Mexico.

Naming the crater: it is located on the town of Chicxulub, Yucatan but it also means "the tail of the devil" in Mayan dialect.

This has been the most supported theory regarding the extinction of many species including the dinosaurs and until we find an evidence clearer than this huge crater, Chicxulub holds one of the most shocking evidence in history.

Earth Day!!!

Today is Earth Day!! I know this project was meant to be for analyzing near-Earth asteroids and Apophis but I really thought I should share saying that I enjoy living on this planet and if there are other habitable worlds out there in space I want to stay here!

Learn more about the history of Earth Day in the Earth day Network just follow this link:

http://earthday.net/node/77

Dinousaur Extinction

What exactly made dinousaurs go extinct?

One of the theories and perhaps the most understandable and accepted in today's science is the striking of an asteroid 10 kilometers wide just off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico.

But was it just the impact that changed the world forever? Well, according to many scientists, the impact caused an excessive amount of dense clouds of dust that blocked the sun's rays from reaching the surface of the Earth. This environment lasted for months and it was almost impossible to live under these conditions which explains the extinction of not just dinosaurs, but of many plants and other animals living at the time.

Evidence: There is a 150 kilometer wide crater just off the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. Scientists say that this impact crater was created about 65 million years ago, the time dinosaurs dissapeared.

Discovery Channel's 10 ways to stop an asteroid!!

Just click on this link and learn about how we can still survive this possible collision

http://dsc.discovery.com/space/top-10/asteroid-stopping-technology/

Apophis Update

Good news! Although Apophis has a really good chance of hitting our blue marble in the year of 2036, the chances are 1 in 45,000. In case the chances increase NASA has already taking into consideration several methods to try to deflect the asteroid or to simply destroy it.

Apophis

We all know about all those rocky asteroids and icy comets that float around our universe. What we do not come to realize is that these could one day finish with an entire species like they once did with dinosaurs. Why not with us? In fact, an asteroid is set to come in our direction by the year of 2029. It is said that this asteroid will be closer to us than the moon is. This asteroid is called Apophis, named after the Egyptian god of destruction. Get it?

No, do not panic yet. Here is a little breather: Experts say that there is no chance that the asteroid will strike the Earth in 2029. But here is where the scary part begins: the building-sized asteroid will make a "U-turn" and is said to have a pretty good chance of hitting the Earth in April 13, 2036. Friday the 13th.

Yes, it will make a u-turn caused by a gravitational keyhole which is a region in space no more than about 600 meters across.