The asteroid Apophis, capable of destroying Moscow if it falls on its territory, will approach the Earth on March 5. This will allow researchers to study its composition and orbit, according to RIA Novosti.
The space body will be at its closest distance from the surface of the planet in the last eight years. As explained by Nathan Eismont, a leading researcher at the Department of Space Dynamics and Mathematical Information Processing at IKI RAS, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, the study of the asteroid will allow us to calculate the probability and date of its collision with the Earth.
The scientist noted that the chances of a space body hitting the planet are estimated at 1.5-2 percent, which is very high, given its weight of 70-80 million tons and a size of 350 meters in diameter.
The next time the opportunity to examine the asteroid in detail will appear only on April 3, 2029, when the celestial body flies 29,470 kilometers from the Earth's surface. On this day, according to scientists, the asteroid can be seen with the naked eye.
The asteroid (99942) Apophis was discovered in July 2004. In January 2019, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences Valeria Shuvalova said that in the event of an asteroid falling within the Garden Ring in Moscow, the capital would be completely destroyed, and ionospheric radiation would cover all of Europe. Scientists estimate that the collision could occur in 2068.
