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Asteroid with more force than biggest nuclear bomb to come close to Earth in 2029
- Apophis’ path projected to be the planet’s closest encounter with such a large asteroid
- Russian scientists say it could come close to the distance at which TV satellites orbit, but chances of striking one are tiny, according to Hong Kong experts
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The bad news: an asteroid as big as the Eiffel Tower and named after a god of chaos is heading towards the Earth. The good news: it is expected to miss.
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Scientists in Russia have projected that the asteroid Apophis will skim past the Earth in April 2029 in what could be the closest encounter the planet has had with a rock of its size.
Apophis will come within 39,000km (24,000 miles) of the Earth’s surface – close to the distance at which television satellites operate – according to forecasts by the Russian emergencies ministry, news agency Sputnik reported.
That is in line with previous calculations by US space agency Nasa, which in March ruled out Apophis smacking Earth in 2068 and estimated it would miss it by less than 32,000km in seven years’ time.
01:18
Nasa puts spacecraft on collision course with asteroid to test possible Earth defence system
Nasa puts spacecraft on collision course with asteroid to test possible Earth defence system
With a diameter of about 340 metres (1,115 feet), Apophis – named after the ancient Egyptian god of chaos – was described by Nasa as “one of the most hazardous asteroids that could impact Earth” after astronomers at a US observatory detected its existence in 2004.
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