Huge ‘God of Chaos’ asteroid passing Earth ‘exceptionally close’ – and experts are sending a spacecraft to track it

A HUGE asteroid is set to make an “exceptionally close” pass to Earth in 2029 – and would trigger an apocalypse if it collided.

The asteroid is called 99942 Apophis, which means God of Chaos, and is bigger than the Eiffel Tower.

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It is expected to fly closer to Earth than geostationary satellites used for TV broadcasting, navigation and weather forecasting.

No asteroids are expected to come this close for a few thousand years.

The exact date expected to pass? Friday, April 13, 2029.

But before starting to prepare for the end of the world, researchers from the European Space Agency (ESA) announced that they will send a spacecraft to monitor it.

ESA is redoubling efforts to protect Earth’s defenses against future potentially cataclysmic space rocks, following the success of NASA’s DART mission in 2022.

Scientists are eager to learn how the giant space rock is influenced by Earth’s gravity during such a close flyby.

As part of the new Rapid Apophis Mission for Safety and Security (Ramses), a spacecraft will be sent to the asteroid two months before it passes Earth.

Richard Moissl, head of ESA’s Planetary Defense Office, called the mission “a cornerstone of humanity’s response to a dangerous asteroid.”

During this time, the probe will collect information about Apophis’ size, shape, mass and the way it rotates on its never-ending journey through space.

The ESA said: “These are all very important properties for assessing how best to move a dangerous asteroid off the collision course with Earth.”

Ramses needs to be launched in April 2028 to reach Apophis in February 2029.

Mass extinction

When Apophis was first discovered in 2004, scientists were concerned that it might collide with Earth while orbiting the Sun.

NASA has ruled out an impact with Apophis during its approaches in 2029 and 2036.

But it was only in 2021 that experts ruled out a collision for at least the next 100 years.

Professor Monica Grady, from the Open University, told The Guardian that it is likely that an asteroid like Apophis caused the end of the dinosaurs.

“[Asteroids] come close to Earth, and there is potential that one day one of them will hit Earth and cause a major disaster,” she said.

“We believe this happened 65 million years ago, when all dinosaurs were exterminated.

“And if it’s a big asteroid and it hits us, it will be a catastrophe that will destroy humanity.”

Visible to the naked eye

Two billion people across Europe, Africa and some parts of Asia will be able to see Apophis fly.

“Its flyby of Earth is absolutely unique,” ​​said Dr. Holger Krag, head of ESA’s space safety program office.

“If the sky is clear, you can see it with the naked eye.”