ASTEROIDS & NEAR-EARTH OBJECTS: Apophisby Dave Mosher
 ASTEROIDS & NEAR-EARTH OBJECTS: Apophis Asteroid Apophis is last on our list, and certainly not the best. It is, after all, named after the Egyptian god of "uncreation" for a reason. Known in scientific circles as both 2004 MN4 and 99942 Apophis, this 885-foot-long space rock has a fairly good chance of impacting the Earth within a quarter century.. After making a breathtakingly close pass on Friday the 13th in April 2029 -- less than 10 percent of the distance between Earth and the moon -- Apophis will have about a 1 in 45,000 chance of hitting Earth in 2036 when it swings back around. To better understand Apophis' danger to Earth, some scientists advocate sending a transmitter to the asteroid's surface to better track its movement. Credit: Courtesy of Celestia Motherlode - For a full-resolution image, click here. Article posted April 13, 2009. Got something to say? E-mail your questions, comments or concerns to discoveryspace@discovery.com. |
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Need More Space? Get It Here!Get More of the Wide Angle
Want more? Click here for the rest of the Wide Angle: Asteroid Apophis. Credit: NASA
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