Scientists respond to concerns of 1,200-foot-wide asteroid hitting Earth in 2029

An asteroid that has been a somewhat point of contention for several years has received another analysis further putting to bed the concern of a potential collision with Earth.

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That asteroid is 99942 Apophis, which was originally discovered on June 19, 2004 and only a few months after its discovery caused a brief period of concern as observations indicated with probability of up to 2.7% of a potential collision with Earth on April 13, 2029. However, follow-up observations ruled out this possibility, with the probability of a collision being so small that the 1,200-foot-wide asteroid wasn't worth worrying about.

What researchers didn't take into account at the time was the possibility of Apophis colliding with another asteroid, slightly, or greatly, changing its trajectory and therefore the probability of a collision with Earth. Astronomers took observations of the asteroid once again, implemented the chance of an asteroid collision mid-journey and published their findings in the Planetary Science Journal. The team found Apophis has no risk of collision with any known asteroids within the inner solar system.

Nevertheless, Apophis will still make a close approach with Earth in 2029 at a completely safe distance.