Scientists are on a mission to study an asteroid larger than the Eiffel Tower which is on course to skim the Earth.
The European Space Agency (ESA) will send a spacecraft to the 99942 Apophis asteroid to gather new information about it as the rock hurtles through space, on a rare journey that only happens every 5,000 to 10,000 years.
It is expected to pass closer to Earth than the satellites used for TV broadcasting, navigation and weather forecasting, and ten times closer than the Moon.
So close, in fact, it will be visible to roughly 2 billion people across Europe, Africa and Asia.
ESA’s mission will also explore how the asteroid changes as it passes within 20,000 miles (32,000km) of Earth on Friday 13 April 2029.
Experts hope to gain fresh insight into the giant asteroid that spans 375m in width, as part of a strategy to bolster Earth’s defences.
The spacecraft is set to reach the asteroid in February 2029, where it will look at how it can impact our planet.
This rare event has sparked the interest of scientists and space experts, who believe that insights gained from the mission will provide key information on how to protect Earth from these events in the future.
Patrick Michel, Director of Research at CNRS at Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur, said: ‘There is still so much we have yet to learn about asteroids but, until now, we have had to travel deep into the Solar System to study them and perform experiments ourselves to interact with their surface.
‘For the first time ever, nature is bringing one to us and conducting the experiment itself.
‘All we need to do is watch as Apophis is stretched and squeezed by strong tidal forces.’
Following its discovery in 2004, the asteroid sparked concerns that it might collide with Earth as it orbits the Sun. In 2021, experts concluded that a collision would be off the cards for at least the next 100 years.
Richard Moissl, the head of ESA’s Planetary Defence Office said: ‘Ramses will demonstrate that humankind can deploy a reconnaissance mission to rendezvous with an incoming asteroid in just a few years.
‘This type of mission is a cornerstone of humankind’s response to a hazardous asteroid.’
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