2029, April: Apophis will fly past Earth. This could potentially be dangerous to us. Measuring in at 300 meters in width (980 feet), the asteroid is said to be invading our territorial bubble at a distance closer then many communication satellites. Not good. Definitely not good. But fortunately, we have about a little more than two decades until that happens.

And we better make good use of that time lest we become just another sprinkle of dust in the universe. UK space scientists fully understand this, that's why they have thought of a way to get to know the enemy better. Through the Apex (Apophis Explorer), we earthlings could have a better understanding of the makeup of the asteroid: size, shape, color, spin, composition, and temperature.

Although doomsday speculations have already been refuted regarding Apophis, it still would do us well not to be complacent and take any chances. The prediction that the Apophis asteroid will zoom past Earth only at 36,000 km at most is devoid of certainty, and as such must be closely looked into. The Apex could be just the key to the asteroid's mystery. With the remote-sensing aircraft able to get close enough to the asteroid, data could be picked up, sent back to Earth and then analyzed. From there, we can then have the homecourt advantage.

But the Apex is nothing but a mere concept as of yet. And you can say it is one heck of a brilliant idea it is - with a price tag of £ 25,000 (US$ 50,000). You can only imagine how much more it'll cost once the mission gets the green light. Then again, I guess we shouldn't mind shelling out millions of dollars if it means saving ourselves, right?

Thanks to G.C for the tip!

The European Southern Observatory's Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX) 12-meter sub-millimeter telescope is now online and providing scientists with clear views to the "Cold Universe."

New findings include the discovery of a new interstellar molecule, and the detection of light emitted from carbon monoxide molecules as well as two forms of a charged hydrogen molecules containing fluorine. The phenomenon  was discovered near the Orion nebula, one of the most active stellar nurseries in the Milky Way - and closest to our own solar system. This adds greatly to scientists' understanding of interstellar chemistry, and indicates that hydrogen fluoride is common in interstellar gas clouds.

APEX has also detected light from charged molecules of hydrogen and deuterium in several cold clouds in the southern hemisphere, as well as the first observations of atomic carbon in the "Pillars of Creation" region of the Eagle Nebula.

APEX went on to perform a sub-millimeter study of a massive hot core, of a high-mass star forming region, and a high velocity outflow coming from a young stellar object.

Studies of molecular regions in the galaxies NGC 6822 and NGC 253 were completed successfully, proving that APEX can also contribute to the exploration of objects outside the Milky Way Galaxy.

Millimeter and sub-millimeter astronomy is a field which deals with the study of the formation processes of stars and planets. The APEX telescope will allow astronomers to study the chemistry and physical conditions of molecular clouds - dense regions of gas and dust in which new stars are born.