In approximately 5-1/2 years, astronomers anticipate the close passage of an asteroid, nearly as wide as the Empire State Building is tall, hurtling through space within a mere 20,000 miles (32,200 km) of Earth. This event marks the closest proximity of an object of such magnitude to our planet in recent history.
During this cosmic encounter, a NASA spacecraft launched in 2016 is poised to conduct an intricate examination of this extraordinary celestial event. Spearheaded by scientists from the University of Arizona, the mission aims to unlock insights into planetary formation, offering valuable knowledge that may contribute to the development of a defense system against potential catastrophic asteroid collisions with Earth.
Initially identified in 2004, the asteroid, named Apophis after an ancient Egyptian mythological demon serpent symbolizing evil and chaos, initially raised concerns of a potential impact in 2029. Subsequent refined observations have alleviated fears of an imminent collision, extending the impact risk to at least another century.
However, the asteroid’s upcoming approach in 2029 will bring it remarkably close to Earth, nearly one-tenth the distance of the moon and well within the orbits of certain geosynchronous Earth satellites.
