• iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • Lad Files
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Extinct
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content
Giant asteroid that was given 2.7% chance to collide with earth on Friday 13th

Home> News> Science

Published 14:35 13 Dec 2024 GMT

Giant asteroid that was given 2.7% chance to collide with earth on Friday 13th

Apophis was identified as 'one of the most hazardous asteroids'

Anish Vij

Anish Vij

When the 99942 Apophis was first discovered in 2004, we all thought we were doomed.

After all, the 1,100 ft asteroid was named after the demon serpent who represented pure evil and chaos in ancient Egyptian mythology.

NASA identified it 'as one of the most hazardous asteroids that could impact Earth', and in 2017, the space agency gave it a 2.7 percent chance of hitting Earth in 2029.

This wouldn't have been ideal, as asteroid scientist Ronald-Louis Ballouz told Live Science he created a computer model of the 'God of Chaos' to find out its potential impact.

"Apophis' gravity is about 250,000 times smaller than Earth's. So, we think that events of much smaller magnitude could plausibly shake things up on its surface," he said.

Advert

"Apophis quickly gained notoriety as an asteroid that could pose a serious threat to Earth when astronomers predicted that it would come uncomfortably close in [Friday, 13 April] 2029," NASA explained.

99942 Apophis (NASA)
99942 Apophis (NASA)

Thankfully though, the risk of impact in either 2029, 2036, or 2068 was ruled out thanks to advancements in technology.

NASA used powerful radar observations to reestimate its danger with extreme precision.

After 'refining the estimate of its orbit around the sun' they confidently ruled out 'any impact risk in 2068 and long after'.

Advert

"A 2068 impact is not in the realm of possibility anymore, and our calculations don’t show any impact risk for at least the next 100 years," said Davide Farnocchia of NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) in 2021.

"With the support of recent optical observations and additional radar observations, the uncertainty in Apophis’ orbit has collapsed from hundreds of kilometers to just a handful of kilometers when projected to 2029.

Hopefully, this never happens (Getty Stock Images)
Hopefully, this never happens (Getty Stock Images)

"This greatly improved knowledge of its position in 2029 provides more certainty of its future motion, so we can now remove Apophis from the risk list.

"When I started working with asteroids after college, Apophis was the poster child for hazardous asteroids.

Advert

"There’s a certain sense of satisfaction to see it removed from the risk list, and we’re looking forward to the science we might uncover during its close approach in 2029."

However, we might not be out of the woods just yet after Canadian astronomer Paul Wiegert said that if a 'small object' collides with the asteroid, it could change its course.

"The odds of an unseen small asteroid deflecting Apophis enough to direct it into a collision with Earth," he added.

Thankfully, he clarified: "Given that only five percent of such impulses are in the correct direction to generate an Earth impact, the overall probability of a small impact directing Apophis into a collision with the Earth is less than one in two billion."

I'll take my chances.

Featured Image Credit: NASA/Getty Stock Images

Topics: Space, Science, NASA

Anish Vij
Anish Vij

Anish is a Journalist at LADbible Group and is a GG2 Young Journalist of the Year 2025. He has a Master's degree in Multimedia Journalism and a Bachelor's degree in International Business Management. Apart from that, his life revolves around the ‘Four F’s’ - family, friends, football and food. Email: [email protected]

X

@Anish_Vij

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

9 hours ago
10 hours ago
12 hours ago
  • 9 hours ago

    Girl, 9, dies after mum left her in the car whilst she went to work

    She was left unattended in the car for hours

    News
  • 9 hours ago

    Incredible photo shows woman hanging on to tree before being rescued from freak flood that killed 27

    The woman had been swept 20 miles downriver before being rescued

    News
  • 10 hours ago

    Man robbed bank claiming 'it was art' and filmed the whole thing

    Gonna have to try this one

    News
  • 12 hours ago

    Someone made a £5000 Bitcoin investment in 2011 and has now made ridiculous profit 14 years later

    Maybe they're a time traveller who did what we all dream of

    News
  • NASA makes 'emergency preparation' over asteroid that has chance of hitting Earth in next seven years
  • Scientists issue update on size of 'city-destroying' asteroid that was predicted to hit earth
  • Scientists address 'city-destroying' asteroid discovered that could hit Earth
  • Chilling simulation shows damage asteroid that could hit Earth in seven years would do on impact