Don't Look Up in real life?: Russian scientists say massive asteroid to skim past Earth in 2029
By Jennylou Canon
PHOTO: Daily Mail |
When movies turn into reality.
Russian news agency Sputnik has reported that an asteroid the size of Eiffel Tower is expected to pass Earth, as confirmed by the calculations of the Russian emergencies ministry.
Named after the Egyptian God of Chaos Apophis, the asteroid will be 39,000km away from the Earth as it passes, and this encounter is said to be Earth' closest contact with a massive asteroid.
University of Hong Kong Laboratory for Space Research Head Quentin Parker said that the 340-meter wide asteroid will not hit any satellites nor the Chinese and International Space Stations.
Asteroid Apophis is reported to possess a wind speed of 790 meters per second and an energy of 1,717 megatons - stronger than the largest nuclear bomb Soviet Tsar Bomba.