Nasa starts preparing for arrival of huge asteroid named 'God of Chaos'
In 2029 a 340 meter-across asteroid will fly by earth at a mere 19000 miles. Close in space terms.
Nasa is already preparing for the arrival of a huge asteroid named the “God of Chaos” that will skirt past Earth in 10 years.
On 13 April, 2029, people looking towards the sky will see a speck of light streaking across it, which will quickly get brighter and faster. It will be travelling so fast that it will cross the width of the Moon in a minute and be as bright as stars in the sky.
Scientists have named the rock Apophis, after the Egyptian god of chaos.
The glowing speck will be a huge asteroid, 340 meters across, that Nasa is already preparing to watch as it flies past Earth. The space agency says that it will fly far enough away as to be harmless – at a distance of 19,000 miles – but that is as close as some of the spacecraft that flies past Earth.
It is also close enough that researchers will be able to get an unprecedented look at the asteroid itself. They will be able to see the rock in sharp detail, allowing them to observe it in new ways.