Researchers at NASA, Caltech, and the Arecibo Observatory have predicted that the asteroid 99942 Apophis will pass close to earth in 2029 and 2036. It is estimated to pass 18,300 miles over the mid-Atlantic on April 13, 2029, and 30.5 million miles from Earth on Easter Sunday of 2036. These calculations are approximate and there is a 1 in 45,000 possibility of a collision with Earth in 2036.
On April 15, 2008, a German newspaper reported that Nico Marquardt, 13, used "telescopic findings" to conclude that there is a 1 in 450 chance the asteroid will collide with Earth. Marquardt's calculations allegedly took into account the possibility of the asteroid's collision with a satellite, thereby heightening its chances of impacting Earth.
Though some news outlets reported that NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) found the boy's calculations correct, The Register confirmed that neither organization did. NASA stood by their initial numbers, stating that the satellites Marquardt took into consideration were of "minuscule" risk.
References
Fast Facts
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Discovered
June 19, 2004
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Discovered by
Roy A. Tucker, David J. Tholen, and Fabrizio Bernardi
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Mass
2×1010 kg (estimated)
