The end of the world is predicted by enthusiasts and scientists almost every year. All such predictions have only relative reliability - no forecast will be able to name the exact date of the death of human civilization.
Scientists name the date of the global catastrophe in 2036 for a reason. Thanks to the calculations of astronomers, it is known that it is this year that a huge asteroid Apophis may fall on Earth. Rather, it is huge only for our planet and the predicted damage to it. On the scale of space, Apophis is quite small, its size, according to estimates by various scientists, ranges from 300 to 400 meters in diameter. However, even such a lump of cosmic stone is capable of wiping out a large European state from the face of the planet.
What is the threat of a collision?
But only one collision of Apophis with the Earth is not the last problem of the population. After a deafening impact with the planet's surface, the catastrophe will claim millions of lives in minutes if the asteroid falls on populated areas. However, the later impact of such a decline will be much more global. Such a blow threatens with faults in the earth's crust, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and huge tsunamis that will sweep across the planet, bringing death to all living things and human structures. So much dust and gases will fly into the air that this mass will close the Sun for a long time.
Forest fires, explosions, changes in the composition of air and water, displacement of the plates of the earth's crust, unpredictable climate change, the extinction of many species of plants and animals - this is what awaits humanity in the near future after the collision. All this will affect the further residence on the planet, perhaps even make it unsuitable for humanity, condemning it to slow death. And this is not to mention the fact that the economies of all countries will decline, an economic crisis, hunger, wars and the struggle for existence will begin in the world. Even if humanity survives after this, the collision with Apophis will throw off the development of civilization for a long time.
What is the probability?
The likelihood of an asteroid falling cannot yet be accurately predicted. The fact is that in 2028 or 2029 it will pass very close to the Earth - about 36,000 km. Some satellites are located at the same distance from the Earth. This approach of Apophis for the first time does not threaten anything for earthlings. However, the gravity of the Earth can change its orbit, which at the next approach will end with the fall of the asteroid on the Earth. Such a case is far from the only one in the history of the planet, so its probability is high.
However, you should not panic in advance. Knowing what destruction this space object will bring to the planet, NASA scientists are developing a plan to de-orbit or destroy this asteroid. It will not be possible to implement this plan or abandon it in the absence of a real threat until the end of the next decade.
