A HUGE asteroid is set to make an “exceptionally close” pass of Earth in 2029 – and it would bring on an apocalypse if it were to collide.
The asteroid is called 99942 Apophis, which translates to God of chaos, and is larger than the Eiffel Tower.
Ramses needs to launch in April 2028 in order to reach Apophis in February 2029[/caption]
Scientists are keen to know how the giant space rock is influenced by Earth’s gravity during such a close flyby[/caption]
It is expected to fly closer to Earth than the geostationary satellites used for TV broadcasting, navigation and weather forecasting.
No asteroid is expected to come as close for a few thousand years.
The exact date it’s forecast to zoom past? Friday 13 April 2029.
But before you start doomsday prepping, researchers at the European Space Agency (ESA) have announced that they are sending a spacecraft to keep an eye on it.
The ESA are doubling down on efforts to secure Earth’s defences against future, potentially cataclysmic, space rocks, following the success of Nasa’s DART mission in 2022.
Scientists are keen to know how the giant space rock is influenced by Earth’s gravity during such a close flyby.
As part of the new Rapid Apophis Mission for Security and Safety (Ramses), a spacecraft will be sent to the asteroid two months before it makes its pass of Earth.
Richard Moissl, head of ESA’s Planetary Defence Office, called the mission “a cornerstone of humankind’s response to a hazardous asteroid”.
During this time, the spacecraft will gather information about Apophis’ size, shape, mass, and the way it spins on its endless journey through space.
The ESA said: “These are all very important properties for assessing how best to knock a hazardous asteroid off a collision course with Earth.”
Ramses needs to launch in April 2028 in order to reach Apophis in February 2029.
Earth's closest near-misses
One of Earth's closest near-misses occurred only a few years ago.
Asteroid VT4, which is estimated to be just five to 10 metres in diameter, came as close as 383 km to the Earth’s surface in 2020.
Another close encounter happened on 31 March 2004, when meteoroid FU162 zoomed past just 6500km above Earth’s surface.
But as experts at the Royal Greenwich Observatory explain, both these asteroids would have been relatively harmless.
“FU162 is only 10m across, so if it had collided with the Earth it would almost certainly have exploded harmlessly in the upper atmosphere,” experts said.
Then in May 1996, asteroid JA1 passed the Earth 450,000km away – which is about as far away as the Moon.
Mass extinction
When Apophis was first discovered in 2004, scientists were concerned it might collide with Earth as it orbits the Sun.
Nasa has ruled out an impact with Apophis during its approaches in 2029 and 2036.
But it was only in 2021 that experts ruled out a collision for at least the next 100 years.
The last dramatic asteroid strike was the Tunguska Event in Siberia in 1908, which exploded with the power of 185 Hiroshima bombs.
If it’s a big asteroid and it hits us, it’ll be a catastrophe which will destroy humanity.
Professor Monica Grady of the Open University
Professor Monica Grady of the Open University told The Guardian that an asteroid like Apophis is likely to have brought on the end of the dinosaurs.
“[Asteroids] come near the Earth, and there’s potential that one day one of them will hit the Earth and cause a major disaster,” she said.
“We believe this happened 65m years ago, when the dinosaurs were all wiped out.
“And if it’s a big asteroid and it hits us, it’ll be a catastrophe which will destroy humanity.”
Visible to the naked eye
A whopping two billion people across Europe, Africa and some parts of Asia will be able to watch Apophis fly by.
“The flyby it does with Earth is absolutely unique,” said Dr Holger Krag, the head of the Esa’s space safety programme office.
“If the sky is clear, you should be able to see it with your naked eye.”
All you need to know about planets in our solar system
Our solar system is made up of nine planets with Earth the third closest to the Sun. But each planet has its own quirks, so find out more about them all…
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