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99942 Apophis (provisional designation 2004 MN 4) is a near-Earth asteroid and a potentially hazardous object, 450 metres (1,480 ft) by 170 metres (560 ft) in size, [3] that caused a brief period of concern in December 2004 when initial observations indicated a probability of 2.7% that it would hit Earth on Friday, April 13, 2029.
This is a list of asteroids that have impacted Earth after discovery and orbit calculation that predicted the impact in advance. As of December 2024 [update] , all of the asteroids with predicted impacts were under 5 m (16 ft) in size that were discovered just hours before impact, and burned up in the atmosphere as meteors .
It gained some public interest when it became clear, in January 2005, that the asteroid 99942 Apophis would miss the Earth in 2029 but may go through one or another keyhole leading to impacts in 2036 or 2037. Further research has since been done, however, which revealed the probability of Apophis passing through the keyhole was extremely low. [1]
A similar scenario unfolded in 2004 with Apophis, an asteroid initially projected to have a 2.7 percent chance of striking Earth in 2029. Further observations ruled out an impact. "City killer ...
Apophis is of interest because it’s an S-type, or stony, asteroid — different from other space rocks visited by NASA missions, including Bennu, which is a C-type, or carbonaceous, asteroid.
The latest calculations show that the asteroid known as "2024 YR4" has an increased chance of striking our planet in Dec. 2032. Odds increase again for small asteroid 20224 YR4 to strike Earth in 2032
On December 24, 2004, 370 m (1,210 ft) asteroid 99942 Apophis was assigned a 4 on the Torino scale, the highest rating given to date, for an impact in April 2029. [19] As observations were collected over the next three days, the calculated chance of impact first increased to as high as 2.7%, [ 20 ] then fell back to zero. [ 21 ]
A big one, though, can wreak havoc far beyond its initial impact site. The massive Chicxulub asteroid that 66 million years ago slammed into what is now the Yucatán peninsula in Mexico released ...