In 2029, the huge asteroid Apophis will fly so close to Earth that it can be seen with the naked eye. This was reported by “MIR 24” with reference to the Planetary Science Journal.
Apophis, whose diameter is 335 meters, was discovered in 2004. The asteroid was classified as the most dangerous space object.
The closest approach to Earth is expected on April 13, 2029. The asteroid will pass at a distance of 37 399 km - 10 times closer than the Moon. Initially, the probability of a collision was estimated at 2,7%, which was a record high on the Turin danger scale.
However, after carefully studying the trajectory of Apophis, scientists came to the conclusion that a collision would not occur.
A team from Western University and the University of Waterloo analyzed the orbits of all known asteroids in the solar system. It turned out that in 2026 Apophis will fly 10 000 km from the asteroid Xanth (diameter 1,3 km).
Despite the possibility of being hit by Xanthus fragments, this should not change Apophis' trajectory.
According to new data, the risk of a collision with Earth in 2029 is completely excluded. Apophis is also expected to come close to our planet in 2036, but the probability of its fall is less than 1:1000000.