An asteroid that could threaten our planet will pass close to Earth in five years. This asteroid, called Apophis, is predicted to pass ten times closer than the Moon on April 13, 2029.
RISKY ASTEROID REMOVED FROM THE LIST
Although considered a potential hazard when it was first discovered, new observations have shown that the asteroid is unlikely to hit Earth for 100 years, after which Apophis was removed from the space agency's "asteroid at risk" list.
POTENTIAL DANGER MUST NOT BE IGNORED
Given the size of Apophis and the likelihood of an impact, a possible impact could cause serious damage. However, experts say the probability of such large objects hitting Earth is rare. However, they point out that the potential danger should not be ignored.
SCIENTISTS ARE GETTING READY
Scientists plan to study the asteroid during the upcoming flyby to understand Apophis' interaction with Earth's gravitational field. This close passage could cause changes in the asteroid's composition or surface. Scientists are preparing to observe and document them.
SPACE RACE BEGINS
Private space companies are also proposing different missions to approach Apophis. Blue Origin proposes using its orbital platform Blue Ring for low-cost missions to Apophis, while ExLabs proposes a new system to study the asteroid's contents.
NASA IS ON ITS WAY
NASA is also making plans to take advantage of this opportunity. The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is already on its way to study Apophis and observe possible changes. In addition, two spare spacecraft designed for the Janus mission are also available to study Apophis.
While this close encounter presents a great opportunity for scientific research, it could also lead to the announcement of more missions in the future.
While most meteorites are found in the space belt between Mars and Jupiter, there are some exceptions. Apophis belongs to a group known as the Aten family, and these giant rocks mostly orbit the Earth.
This makes Aten asteroids particularly dangerous because they come so close to the Sun, causing them to glow too brightly and preventing observations from telescopes on Earth.
