<p>The asteroid - which is 270 metres in diameter - will approach Earth at a distance of 37,000-38,000 km in 2029. In 2036, Apophis may come back and collide with Earth April 13, 2036.<br /><br />According to scientists, the chance of a collision in 2036 is extremely slim and the asteroid would likely disintegrate into smaller parts and smaller collisions with Earth could occur in the following years.<br /><br />However, a group of Chinese astronomers headed by Shengping Gong of Tsinghua University in Beijing have published an article proposing to place a small spacecraft with a solar sail into a retrograde orbit in order to change the asteroid's trajectory.<br /><br />The retrograde orbit will give the spacecraft an impact velocity of 90 km per second which - if done well enough in advance - will prevent Apophis from returning to Earth.<br /><br />The project may be difficult to realise as all kinds of variations in the solar wind could send the spacecraft wildly off course, according to Technologyreview.com.<br /><br />The asteroid, discovered in 2004, is considered the largest threat to our planet, although NASA scientists say the likelihood of a hazardous strike on Earth in 2036 is unlikely.</p>
<p>The asteroid - which is 270 metres in diameter - will approach Earth at a distance of 37,000-38,000 km in 2029. In 2036, Apophis may come back and collide with Earth April 13, 2036.<br /><br />According to scientists, the chance of a collision in 2036 is extremely slim and the asteroid would likely disintegrate into smaller parts and smaller collisions with Earth could occur in the following years.<br /><br />However, a group of Chinese astronomers headed by Shengping Gong of Tsinghua University in Beijing have published an article proposing to place a small spacecraft with a solar sail into a retrograde orbit in order to change the asteroid's trajectory.<br /><br />The retrograde orbit will give the spacecraft an impact velocity of 90 km per second which - if done well enough in advance - will prevent Apophis from returning to Earth.<br /><br />The project may be difficult to realise as all kinds of variations in the solar wind could send the spacecraft wildly off course, according to Technologyreview.com.<br /><br />The asteroid, discovered in 2004, is considered the largest threat to our planet, although NASA scientists say the likelihood of a hazardous strike on Earth in 2036 is unlikely.</p>