Member-only story
In Five Years This Asteroid Will Pass Closer Than Any In Human History
Scientists used to fret that it would hit the planet
A major asteroid strike on Earth sounds like something out of a disaster movie or something from the distant past. The idea of a massive space rock crashing into the planet at high speeds is terrifying. Due to the Earth’s human population and the density of urban centers, any such impact would be devastating to the planet and would have the potential to cause modern society to crumble. That is why scientists were chilled to learn that a large asteroid will make the closest pass to Earth in human history in just five years.
On April 13th, 2029, this asteroid will fly close enough to Earth to be visible to the naked eye. From the ground. Without the aid of a telescope or even binoculars. This will be the closest pass of any asteroid in recorded human history. (And yes, April 13th, 2029, is a Friday for those who might be superstitious.)
The asteroid, Asteroid 99942, dubbed Apophis after the Egyptian god of chaos, was discovered in 2004. At the time, scientists estimated that the asteroid had a 2.7% chance to strike the Earth before 2050. The asteroid was correctly calculated to have multiple uncomfortably close passes to our planet beginning in 2029. Those chances were high enough to set…
