Asteroid Apophis, a 350 metre wide chunk of rock due to make a worryingly close Earth flyby in April 2036, has been in the media for several years now - and I suppose a successful Apophis-based hoax was just a matter of time.
In a story straight out of Hollywood combining apocalyptic predictions, asteroid collisions with Earth, a cute kid showing up NASA scientists and dodgy science comes a successful hoax - Nico Marquardt, a 13-year-old from Germany, reportedly corrected the estimated chance of Apophis impacting Earth in 2036 down from a worrying 1 in 45000 to a downright scary 1 in 450 (i.e. 100 times more likely) based on the chance of Apophis hitting a geosynchronous satellite during its next Earth flyby on April 13, 2029.
Nico exists, but the story isn't entirely true - see the NASA press release - and the chance remains 1 in 45000.
AFP (Agence France-Presse) started the global story rolling (although they weren't the source - that honour apparently goes to Bild.de) and then it spread worldwide without anyone bothering to check the facts - today it made South African papers. Great journalism - not.
Links:
- Wikipedia Apophis topic
- Dedicated NASA Apophis site
- Slashdot coverage
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