‘God Of Chaos’ Asteroid: It’s Exactly Four Years Until The Rarest Space Event Of Our Lives
Jamie Carter
Senior Contributor
Apr 13, 2025,06:00am EDT
Precisely four years from today — on Friday, April 13, 2029 — an asteroid as wide as the Empire State Building is wide will come closer to Earth than orbiting geosynchronous satellites in a very rare event. Apophis will not impact Earth, but could its remarkably close pass store up trouble for the future? If so, the close pass is a chance to gather data critical for humanity’s future.
Key Facts
Asteroid 99942 Apophis (named for the serpent god of chaos in ancient Egypt) is a 1,100-foot (340-meter) wide space rock that will get to within 20,000 miles (32,000 kilometers) of our planet.
If Apophis did strike Earth, it could spread devastation across a radius of hundreds of miles, according to Space.com, killing millions of people if it struck a highly populated metropolitan area.
At a gathering of scientists this week in Tokyo, Japan, plans were unveiled during the Apophis T-4 Years Workshop for radar observations before, during and after the approach, with one abstract describing the close encounter as a chance for a “once-per-thousand-year natural science opportunity.”
According to NASA, when Apophis was discovered in 2004, scientists calculated that it might strike Earth in 2029, 2036 or 2068. Its orbit has since been refined a few times, and, as it stands, we’re safe — for now.
However, it’s possible that the gravitational effect on Apophis of Earth on April 29, 2029, could cause it to alter its trajectory slightly and be a danger in the future. So could a chance encounter with another asteroid in deep space.
For now, its future trajectory is unknowable, but scientists are certain of one thing — we should use its close pass in 2029 to study it closely. After all, in 2060 or 2068, it could one day live up to its “God of Chaos” moniker.
forbes.com |
