About:
- Name: Asteroid Apophis is named after an ancient Egyptian “lord of chaos”.
- Discovery: This asteroid has been known since 2004.
- Orbit: It is a near-Earth object (NEO); that is, its orbit – which is less than one earthly year long – brings it near Earth periodically.
- Size: The asteroid is 340 m wide.
Probability of Hitting Earth?
- Apophis is one of about 2,000 currently known Potentially Hazardous Asteroids.
- In 2004, when it was discovered, there was, for a time, a probability of up to 2.7 % that it would hit Earth on April 13, 2029. This set the record for the highest rating on the Torino scale, reaching level 4 on by the end of 2004.
- However with more studies of its orbit, astronomers have entirely ruled out a strike in 2029. On April 13, 2029, it will cruise harmlessly by Earth, about 31,000 km above the surface.
- However, the astronomers are drawing up plans 10 years in advance for its observation and hoping to get insights about an asteroid’s interior. This observation could one day be used for planetary defence.
