NASA Says Earth Will Be Safe From Asteroids For 100 Years

The US Space Agency, NASA, says Earth will be safe from the threat of an asteroid within the next century.

Associated Press reported NASA announced this week that new telescope observations have ruled out the possibility of Apophis hitting Earth in 2068.

Apohis is a 340-meter-high space rock that was previously expected to approach Earth in 2029 and 2036. NASA ruled out the possibility of a collision in the two events some time ago. But the potential for a 2068 collision is still looming.

First detected in 2004, Apophis is now officially excluded from NASA’s asteroid “risk list”.

“A collision in 2068 is no longer possible, and our calculations do not show a risk of collision for at least the next 100 years,” said Davide Farnocchia of NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies, in a statement Friday.

Scientists were able to detail Apophis’ orbit around the sun thanks to radar observations earlier this month, when the asteroid passed within 17 million kilometers.

Apophis will be at a distance of 32,000 kilometers on April 13, 2029, allowing astronomers to observe it more closely. [ah/jm]

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