Apophis Exposed Earth’s Most Dangerous Blind Spot | Asteroids, NASA & Planetary Defense
Aug 15, 03:54 AM
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Apophis isn’t going to hit Earth. But the asteroid that once alarmed astronomers exposed a much larger problem: what happens when a dangerous object approaches from a part of the sky we struggle to see?
Asteroid Apophis will safely pass Earth in 2029. But its story exposed a much bigger problem: humanity can only defend against the objects we see coming.
In this episode of Divergent Files, we explore Apophis, Earth’s asteroid-detection blind spots, the Chelyabinsk and Tunguska events, NASA’s NEO Surveyor, the DART mission, long-period comets, and the growing science of planetary defense.
Apophis itself is not headed for Earth. The unsettling question is what happens when the next dangerous object gives us far less warning.