Could this be the end of the world?

Question

http://www.deepastronomy.com/apophis-asteroid-could-hit-earth.html

Answer 1

It could be. How ironic that it predicts Friday 13th eh? Albeit in April 2036. The human race will survive. We'll have a plan by then. No worries from me.

Answer 2

Depends on what you mean by "the end of the world", it could be "Life Jim, but not as we know it"

Apophis isn't really big enough to cause an impact with global consequences, however it could cause continent wide destruction which might lead to global economic and social effects.

However the particular 2036 scenario is looking increasingly unlikely. The asteroid is too close to the Sun now to make observations and it is unlikely that any more will be obtained until about 2012. At present the 5-sigma uncertainty region of the 2029 pass includes the 600-meter "keyhole" leading to the 2036 impact. However it is about 2-sigma off nominal and so as the orbit precision improves with data gathered in 2012 and 2013 the uncertainty region will likely shrink to the point where a passage through the keyhole can be definitively ruled out.

Answer 3

Well, even though movies would like us to think otherwise, there are easy and relatively inexpensive ways to avoid a collision with any asteroids.
Say the path it follows will at a given time, make it impact the Earth, all we've got to do is make sure that either the Earth or it (the asteroid) is not at the meeting at the given time.
Messing with the course of the Earth is not practical, but altering the path of the asteroid is quite easy.
To slow it down would be very difficult, but we could speed it up by strapping boosters to it, ensuring it reaches and passes meeting point long before we get there.
So no impact and we all live.
Being late might save your life.

Answer 4

Very unlikly 70% of the planet is ocean and only about 5% of the total suface of earth is urban so landind in new york is very unlikly.
Not sure why the site suggest landing in the ocean is better because the biggest effects are not from impact which does very little damage but from weather effects think of all that water turning to steam and the effects that will have.

The object is so small that it was hard enought to even see let alone trying to hit with a nuclear weapon. plus we don't actually have the ability to send nuclear bombs into space even whether such a plan would even work is debatable

Answer 5

While all of this is probable, it will happen a long time from now and shouldn't be an issue to worry about in the present times (your lifespan, or that of your childrens children).

What is far more disturbing and an imminent threat to life as we know it is the chance that Hillary Clinton might win the upcoming US Elections in November of 2008. Should she win the election and become the next US President, life as we know it today will end. The demise of the United States of America will be guaranteed, and the world will tumble into chaos.

Answer 6

It could be, but highly unlikely. The likelihood of impact varies from 1 in 45000 to 1 in 12 million. I like those odds. Also, it is not big enough to cause global destruction. But it would wipe out a fair size city if it hit, let's hope it lands in some uninhabited desert, or on someone we don't like.
Here's the Wiki link.

Answer 7

No. I have an underground bunker that will support a thousand people for a million years. It's the end of your world, but I'll be happy in my underground tropical paradise.

Answer 8

On a scale of 100/1 it came in about 1 on my scale, Sugar in my tea comes in about 25 so I won't worry about it !!

Answer 9

I cant see it from this particular asteroid

Answer 10

end of the world? no
end of all species? probably

theres only one way the world is going to end is the sun becomes a red giant and eat up earth