Need to know

All you need to know as asteroid as big as Eiffel Tower heading towards Earth

Boffins say the event will be "an amazing and totally unprecedented opportunity to learn much more about Apophis and similar near-Earth asteroids" as it is such a rare occurrence

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It was named after the God of evil and destruction(Image: ESA-Science Office)

NEED TO KNOW: Massive 'God of Destruction' asteroid to make closest flyby in human history

• A massive asteroid dubbed the "God of destruction" is set to make the closest flyby to Earth of any space rock its size in recorded human history.
• The enormous 375m-long rock called Apophis named after an Egyptian deity of evil and chaos will hurtle past our planet on April 13, 2029. NASA has been monitoring the potentially hazardous asteroid for years and has redirected its OSIRIS craft to follow it.
• Current projections show Apophis will pass just 20,000 miles from Earth's surface closer than some weather satellites. The European Space Agency is also sending a spacecraft to shadow the massive rock as it speeds by.
• Despite its ominous nickname, NASA insists there's zero risk of impact. "There is no danger to Earth, to anyone or anything living on it, or to astronauts or satellites in space," the space agency said.
• However, the flyby will offer a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle visible to the naked eye. NASA says an asteroid this large passes this close to Earth "only every few thousand years on average."
• The space rock was first spotted in 2004 and briefly reached level 4 on NASA's Torino Impact Hazard Scale with a 2.7% risk of devastation.
• READ THE FULL STORY: Huge asteroid as big as Eiffel Tower dubbed God of destruction heading towards Earth