The space rock is named 99942 Apophis, after the ancient Egyptian god of chaos. It's is wider than the Eiffel Tower is tall: about 1,115 feet (340 meters).
That future approach will even be close enough that the asteroid could collide with high-altitude communications satellites orbiting Earth.
The animation below shows what the distance between Apophis and Earth will be eight years from now. The blue dots represent orbiting satellites, and the International Space Station is in pink.
This may worth something:
Asteroid the size of 3 football fields passed by Earth tonight | WFLA
Astronomers are watching asteroid #Apophis this week for its close sweep past Earth on March 5-6. It sparked excitement in 2004 when early observations suggested it might strike Earth in 2029. See it online and read more: https://t.co/8ryNmMra6I
📸 NASA pic.twitter.com/XjxvYuoVuo
The asteroid was approximately 10.4 million miles away as it harmlessly passed by Earth. Apophis will be nearly 44 times as far away as the moon.
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Since Apophis is reportedly within range of earthly telescopes and radar, astronomers will be tracking its movement.
NASA: This Asteroid Will Get So Close It Could Smash Into Earth's Satellites
An asteroid roughly the size of the Eiffel Tower passed by Earth on Friday — and NASA scientists say its next flyby in 2029 might result in a collision with orbiting satellites.
On Friday night, the asteroid 99942 Apophis (named after the Ancient Egyptian demon serpent god of chaos) came within 10.4 million miles of Earth, according to Insider . While that's a comfortable distance away, NASA scientists say it's going to get within 19,800 miles of the planet the next time it comes around in 2029.
Asteroid as Big as the Golden Gate Bridge to Pass Earth on First Day of Spring | PEOPLE.com
Due to its size and proximity to Earth, NASA has classified the asteroid as "potentially hazardous," but experts believe there's no risk of impact
Spring is coming — and according to NASA, so is an asteroid as big as the Golden Gate Bridge!
Through a diagram on their website , the space agency confirmed that an asteroid, known as 231937 (2001 FO32), will fly past Earth on March 21, the day after the spring equinox.
Not to change the topic here:
Asteroid Apophis is the size of three-and-a-half football fields. It's flying by Earth ...
This image taken from an animation shows the distance between Asteroid Apophis and Earth at the time of the asteroid's closest approach in 2029. The blue dots are the satellites that orbit our planet, and the pink represents the International Space Station. Apophis' approach in 2021 won't be this close; rather, it will be about 44 times the moon's distance from Earth.
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The size of three-and-a-half football fields, Apophis won't prompt an Armageddon moment. Its closest approach at 7:15 p.m. CST will be 10,471,577 miles away. That's about 44 times the moon's distance, according to EarthSky.org .
The "Apophis" Asteroid Will Pass By Earth Tonight | Martha Stewart
Shooting stars and eclipses always catch our attention from right here on Earth, but there are plenty of equally as important things happening out in the galaxy that we may not know about. According to the Daily Mail , a 1,115-foot asteroid will be passing by our planet tonight. While it'll safely move past Earth today, scientists say this same asteroid (dubbed "Apophis" after the Egyptian "God of Chaos") could actually hit our planet in 2068.
While this intergalactic event will be too far in outer space to see by just glancing up from your backyard, the researchers note that you can spot the asteroid at about 8 p.m. EST—which will likely look like the size of a peanut from here—with a telescope as it passes by Earth during its orbit of the Sun. Apophis takes 324 laps around the Sun in comparison to Earth's 365 days.
A large asteroid known as Apophis zipped silently past the Earth - SlashGear
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