NASA confirms exact date Apophis 'God of Chaos' asteroid will fly by Earth

God of chaos' city-killer asteroid as big as Eiffel Tower to come within 'potentially hazardous' range of EarthA COLOSSAL asteroid is on course to come closer to Earth than any other of its size recorded in human history.The "God of chaos" rock is believed to be about as long as the Eiffel Tower across, at 375m.Nasa has been monitoring the asteroid closely for years and deems it "potentially hazardous" because of the proximity it's expected to reach.However, the space agency says there is no cause for alarm as there's zero risk of it coming close enough to hit Earth or anything else around us.It's projected to reach about 20,000 miles from Earth's surface, which is closer than some satellites used for weather and TV.The asteroid - named Apophis after the ancient Egyptian God of evil and destruction - is set to flyby on April 13, 2029.(Image: ESA-Science Office)

NASA has revealed the exact date when a rare asteroid will hurtle past Earth, approaching our planet closer than any other space rock of its size in documented human history.

The asteroid - dubbed Apophis, which seems an ominous moniker considering it was named after the ancient Egyptian deity of chaos and devastation - will sweep remarkably close to our world in the near future.

This week, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration - or NASA as it's commonly called - verified the asteroid is set to safely sail past Earth in 2029. It will be observable with the naked eye in the evening sky on what superstitious folk consider one of the most unlucky dates imaginable: Friday, 13th April 2029.

It will zoom within 20,000 miles of our planet's surface - closer than the orbital range of numerous satellites. To put this in simple terms, that's roughly 12 times nearer than the moon's typical distance from Earth. When this Near-Earth object was initially spotted in 2004, early calculations indicated Apophis might potentially strike Earth in either 2029, 2036, or 2068.

Since that time, stargazers have maintained careful surveillance of Apophis using optical telescopes and ground-based radar, allowing its orbital trajectory to be much better comprehended. Drawing from this information, NASA now concludes there's no danger of Apophis hitting Earth for at least 100 years. NASA initially gave the colossal space rock a 2.7% probability of inflicting catastrophic harm to our planet, though any danger was ruled out following new radar observations in 2021.

What this does signify, however, is that an asteroid of this size travelling so near to Earth represents an extraordinarily uncommon event that will provide scientists worldwide the opportunity to examine the God of Chaos at close range.

NASA declared in 2021 concerning the 2029 flyby: "This will be the closest approach by something this large currently known. Apophis will be visible to the naked eye for several hours, and Earth tides will probably change its spin state."

Initial observations of Apophis' form indicate it resembles a peanut. The God of Chaos spans roughly 1,230 feet across, slightly higher than the Eiffel Tower, which reaches 1,083 feet.

NASA is presently tracking around 2,000 asteroids, comets and other objects that might travel in close vicinity to Earth. The overwhelming majority of asteroids never collide with Earth's atmosphere, though occasionally these massive space rocks can influence weather patterns. Earth has not experienced an asteroid of apocalyptic scale since the space rock that wiped out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago.