Another Article on Slight Threat Reduction of Apophis

"Before this observation, it was thought that in 2029 Apophis would approach our planet to within about 5.86 Earth radii. With these new measurements, the estimated distance has been pushed back to 5.93 Earth radii."

"In January, Tholen [Dave Tholen, astronomer, University of Hawaii, US] and his team plan to observe Apophis to determine its rotation rate. This is important because if the asteroid is heated unevenly by sunlight, the radiation can impart a small force on the asteroid. That force may be miniscule, but when it accumulates over 20 years, it can make the difference in whether Apophis passes through the keyhole or not, he says."

"Risk of asteroid smashing into Earth reduced"
Kelly Young
NewScientist.com
22 May 2006

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