The Egyptians called him Apep, while the Greek name for this demon is Apophis. Present day scientists have thus chosen to call a wayward and menacing celestial body Apophis. To the layman the object of awe and wonder is commonly known as an asteroid. And the same scientists says that the asteroid Apophis is scheduled for a close encounter with Earth in the year 2036, with a predicted splashdown into the ocean off the northwestern American continent.
Scientists are giving Apophis a 1 in 45,000 chance of making a direct strike with Earth. Robert Roy Britt of the Journal Science has said. Another asteroid due in 2880 is given just a 1 in 300 chance of making contact with Earth. These wayward asteroids originate in an asteroid belt orbiting the Sun and located between Mars and Jupiter. The asteroid belt is 255 to 600 million km. from the Sun. There are estimated to be over one million objects bigger than 1 km. across in diameter. The three largest are Ceres 1,003 km., Pallas 608 km., and Vesta 538 km. Scientists report that on April 13, 2029, Apophis will come within 22,600 miles from Earth and will be visible to the naked eye. And other claims say that it is large enough to destroy a country the size of England. But I wouldn’t worry about any of this because scientists say that space is littered with debris and that most of the stuff that eventually reaches the surface of the Earth is about the size of a football. Many other asteroids are being watched and some are predicted to come within a NEA, near Earth encounter. One asteroid, 2004 MN4 is expected March 21, 2014 and 2002 NT7 is due February 1, 2019. Also, see www.astronomy.com Bill Cooke.
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