The 'god of chaos' asteroid Apophis is set to have a close encounter with Earth in 2029. Experts say that the peanut-shaped asteroid will undergo physical transformation following its journey. It will experience landslides and earthquakes that will alter its landscape dramatically.

The 1,100-foot-long asteroid was first discovered in 2021, and since then it has intrigued astronomers who have been constantly studying it. Apophis was initially feared to be on a collision course with Earth, but now experts say it has a much smaller chance of hitting the planet than earlier feared.&nbsp;

It will come as close as 32,000 kilometres to Earth on April 13, 2029. While Earth itself won't be affected, the planet's gravitational pull will lead rocks on the asteroid to tumble and toss around, altering the rocky visitor.&nbsp;

Ronald-Louis Ballouz, an asteroid scientist at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory researched the implications of the flyby on Apophis. The study is currently available on the arXiv preprint database and has been accepted for publication in The Planetary Science Journal.

He told Live Science that asteroids normally face constant bombardment by tiny meteoroids in a process called space weathering. However, asteroids that pass close to planets like Earth do not have weathered surfaces. What happens to it?

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/colossal-space-reservoir-containing-water-100-trillion-times-of-earths-oceans-discovered-773082">Colossal space reservoir containing water 100 trillion times of Earth's oceans discovered</a>

Experts believe that a planet's gravity pulls the rocks from the surface, revealing a smoother underlayer. Using computer models, Ballouz and other researchers created a specimen based on another two-lobed asteroid, Itokawa. They simulated the models moving towards Earth and noted all the changes that happened in the process.&nbsp;

<h2>Tremors and landslides on Apophis</h2>

The team found that Earth will shape Apophis in two ways during its 2029 encounter. Quakes will start to shake the surface of the asteroid around an hour before Apophis reaches its closest point to Earth. These tremors will continue for some more time after it has left Earth's region.

"Apophis' gravity is about 250,000 times smaller than Earth's. So, we think that events of much smaller magnitude could plausibly shake things up on its surface," he said.

Some rocks will get uprooted and escape the asteroids, while others will fall back creating noticeable patterns on their surface.&nbsp;

The other change will be in the speed of its rotation. Asteroids tumble through space since they don't have a fixed axis. When Apophis comes in contact with Earth's gravity, it will either start to spin more quickly or more slowly.

This will destabilise the sloping faces of surface rocks and can potentially trigger landslides, resulting in changes that will occur over tens of thousands of years.

NASA's OSIRIS-APEX mission will study Apophis during its 2029 encounter and note the changes that have occurred over a period of 18 months.

The 'god of chaos' asteroid Apophis is set to have a close encounter with Earth in 2029. Experts say that the peanut-shaped asteroid will undergo physical transformation following its journey.

The 'god of chaos' asteroid Apophis is set to have a close encounter with Earth in 2029. Experts say that the peanut-shaped asteroid will undergo physical transformation following its journey. It will experience landslides and earthquakes that will alter its landscape dramatically. The 1,100-foot-long asteroid was first discovered in 2021, and since then it has intrigued astronomers who have been constantly studying it. Apophis was initially feared to be on a collision course with Earth, but now experts say it has a much smaller chance of hitting the planet than earlier feared. It will come as close as 32,000 kilometres to Earth on April 13, 2029. While Earth itself won't be affected, the planet's gravitational pull will lead rocks on the asteroid to tumble and toss around, altering the rocky visitor. Ronald-Louis Ballouz, an asteroid scientist at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory researched the implications of the flyby on Apophis. The study is currently available on the arXiv preprint database and has been accepted for publication in The Planetary Science Journal. He told Live Science that asteroids normally face constant bombardment by tiny meteoroids in a process called space weathering. However, asteroids that pass close to planets like Earth do not have weathered surfaces. What happens to it? Also Read: Colossal space reservoir containing water 100 trillion times of Earth's oceans discovered Experts believe that a planet's gravity pulls the rocks from the surface, revealing a smoother underlayer. Using computer models, Ballouz and other researchers created a specimen based on another two-lobed asteroid, Itokawa. They simulated the models moving towards Earth and noted all the changes that happened in the process. Tremors and landslides on Apophis The team found that Earth will shape Apophis in two ways during its 2029 encounter. Quakes will start to shake the surface of the asteroid around an hour before Apophis reaches its closest point to Earth. These tremors will continue for some more time after it has left Earth's region. "Apophis' gravity is about 250,000 times smaller than Earth's. So, we think that events of much smaller magnitude could plausibly shake things up on its surface," he said. Some rocks will get uprooted and escape the asteroids, while others will fall back creating noticeable patterns on their surface. The other change will be in the speed of its rotation. Asteroids tumble through space since they don't have a fixed axis. When Apophis comes in contact with Earth's gravity, it will either start to spin more quickly or more slowly. This will destabilise the sloping faces of surface rocks and can potentially trigger landslides, resulting in changes that will occur over tens of thousands of years. NASA's OSIRIS-APEX mission will study Apophis during its 2029 encounter and note the changes that have occurred over a period of 18 months.

What will happen to Apophis during its close call with Earth in 2029? A study answers the question

Asteroids frequently pass by Earth. But what will happen if an asteroid were to collide with the Earth? To emphasise the need for planetary defence. Scientists have devised an exercise in which a hypothetical asteroid 2023 PDC strikes Earth. This scenario illustrates how an asteroid threat might evolve over the years. It will also help calculate the potential devastation it could cause.

This is how scientists would react if an asteroid was to hit Earth

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asteroid hitting-earth

What will happen to Apophis during its close call with Earth in 2029? A study answers the question

This is how scientists would react if an asteroid was to hit Earth