OT: 99942 Apophis - time to prepare for the end.

[Louis]

Wikipedia entry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/99942_Apophis)

Next near pass is tomorrow. The really exciting approaches are set for 2029 and 2036.

Image is for April 13, 2029. The white bar is the error band on the current position estimate for that approach.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/34/Apophis_pass.svg/600px-Apophis_pass.svg.png

[MattTuck]

the Mayans were a few days off!

Do you know how to see this thing? or is it going to fly by at thousands of miles per hour?

[pistolpete]

http://scienceblogs.com/startswithabang/files/2009/04/tinfoil_hat_antenna.jpg

[Louis]

I don't know about tomorrow.

On that date, it will become as bright as magnitude 3.4[11] (visible to the naked eye from rural as well as darker suburban areas, visible with binoculars from most locations[14]). This close approach will be visible from Europe, Africa, and western Asia. As a result of its close passage, it will move from the Aten to the Apollo class.