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From Nick Greene, for About.com

99942 Apophis No Longer a Threat for 2036

Thursday May 18, 2006
Paul Sutherland, of Skymania News, says we've dodged another bullet.

While some people have been concerned over the possibility of a strike by Comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3, another object out in space had some people at NASA concerned enough to suggest a space mission. 99942 Apophis was discovered on June 19, 2004 by R. A. Tucker, D. J. Tholen and F. Bernardi at the Kitt Peak Observatory. Also known as Apep, the Destroyer, Apophis is the Egyptian god of evil and destruction who dwelled in eternal darkness.

After an earlier close passage by the Earth on April 13 2029, astronomers felt it was possible (though improbable) that asteroid Apophis could pass through a keyhole leading to a collision in 2036. Although that possibility has now been ruled out, Sutherland says "the asteroid will fly so near the Earth on an earlier encounter on Friday the 13th of April, 2029, that it will come closer than TV and communications satellites."

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Comments

April 22, 2008 at 8:00 pm
(1) Jboy says:

who cares about 2036. were all gna die in 2012 anyways.

April 30, 2008 at 8:53 pm
(2) gfgfg says:

jboy, yeah, right. Everyone says we’re gonna die in 2012. and it’s cause of what?

September 6, 2008 at 4:35 am
(3) Naught07 says:

First of all Jboy it does not say the world is going to end 12,12,2012. The Mayan Calendar simply ends. Whats could happen within our life time around 2012, is the earth will stop spinning and start spinning the opposite way, which will cause the poles to flip us side down meaning north will be south and south will be north from now on. This will now mess everything up including the weather. Now as of 2036 there is a very small window for this to hit us. But if it does its supposed to hit north Africa so North America should be good anyways. But expect something to happen that will cause crazy things to happen anyways. The Human race will not last forever. Something is going to happen whether its in our life time or 1,000 years from now.

November 27, 2008 at 2:15 am
(4) brian says:

check i think the one guy has his facts wrong the mayan calender actually ends on 12-21-2012

February 2, 2009 at 11:33 pm
(5) david says:

Woah Woah Woah, in 12-21-2012 is won’t happened becuase when i look at the solar sysetm that planet X, 3600 years ago
people still alive when that happen 7200 is the same and 10400 years ago is happen
so 2012 is be same like 3600 7200 10400 years ago

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