A massive asteroid spanning a width nearly as large as the Empire State Building’s height can make a “close approach” to Earth in 2029.
Asteroid Apophis spans an estimated 1,110 ft in width. For perspective, the Empire State Building is 1,250 ft tall.
According to Space.com, on April 13, 2029, Apophis could reach 32,000 km of Earth, which is about 10 times closer than the moon’s distance from Earth.
It is believed Apophis could even be visible from some parts of Earth.
NASA has been monitoring it closely and even sent a radar observation campaign to space in 2021, which determined there was no risk of the asteroid hitting Earth for at least another 100 years.
But Apophis isn’t the only asteroid in the solar system that has a chance of coming close to Earth.
NASA has been tracking another asteroid, Bennu, for nearly three decades.
Bennu was discovered in 1999 and is rich in carbon material, according to Space.com.
It is known as the “most dangerous” asteroid in the solar system.
Bennu has had three “close encounters” with Earth in 1999, 2005, and 2011, and scientists say there is a one in 2,700 chance of the B-type asteroid hitting Earth in 2182.
If that does happen, there would be significant damage, resulting in an earthquake and “shockwave” that would jolt through Earth’s atmosphere, notes Space.com.
But before you freak out too much, it’s important to remember that there is only a very slight chance of Bennu hitting Earth, if at all.
NASA also launched its OSIRIS-REx mission in 2016 to collect a sample of the asteroid. It took two years for OSIRIS-REx to reach Bennu, and it returned to Earth in September 2023.
NASA said its initial sample of Bennu showed evidence of high carbon content and water, indicating the “building blocks of life” could be found on the massive asteroid.
This article was originally published on November 10, 2023.