In 2029 an asteroid is going to pass very close to Earth. It is expected that it will be within 5 diameters of Earth away, which is disturbingly close given the fact that it is large enough to cause widespread damage (though not extinction level) should it impact with Earth.

When the asteroid was first being tracked, there was a serious concern that it would impact Earth when it passes by in 2029. That was ruled out with additional observation, but many were still concerned that it would make contact on its next pass, which is expected in 2036, though that is extremely unlikely as well at this point.

Now that the risk of a catastrophe have been set aside (at least for the immediate future) scientists are planning to take advantage of this rare opportunity to study a large asteroid up close. In addition, they want to look at how the Earth’s gravity will impact the asteroid as well.

One interesting thing they believe will happen is called asteroidquakes. These are similar to Earthquakes, except they will occur on the asteroid itself. This is because the Earth’s gravity will be exerting such a strong pull on the material that the entire thing will shake powerfully.

It is expected that some rocks and dust may even be launched away from the asteroid itself, though most of it will eventually end up landing back on Apophis. Some may escape into space, or even be pulled down toward Earth where it would burn up in our atmosphere.

These quakes could result in the innermost parts of the asteroid to be exposed to space and become the new surface. This could have a significant impact on its shape and rotation.

Of course, the gravity pull will also influence its future trajectory, which will affect the path it travels through space. These changes in trajectory have already been factored in when trying to determine if, or when, the asteroid will come in contact with Earth.

A study on the expected changes, and many others, has been published in the Planetary Science Journal and it is awaiting peer review.

Hopefully this asteroid doesn’t come much closer in the future.

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