Eiffel Tower-Sized Asteroid Zipping by Earth in Dress Rehearsal For Closer 2029 Flyby

An asteroid the size of the Eiffel Tower will zip past Earth Friday (March 5) and be out of our planetary neighborhood until 2029.

The space rock, dubbed Apophis (an ancient Egyptian demon), was first spotted in 2004 and won’t pose any danger to Earth during this week’s flyby; it will travel past the planet at more than 40 times the distance from Earth to the moon.

 

But scientists are using this week as a dress rehearsal for the asteroid’s next pass, on April 13, 2029, when Apophis will get as close to Earth as some of the highest-orbit satellites.

Read original article here

Leave a Comment