TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — An asteroid that could pass by the Earth in the near future has caught the attention of students and researchers at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute.

Astronomers discovered the Apophis Asteroid in 2004 and it the size of the Empire State Building in Manhattan.

Oakley Observatory experts at Rose-Hulman say they have been keeping an eye on the asteroid which had been predicted in 2004 to hit Earth.

Now, researchers say the asteroid will miss Earth in 2029, but by a mere 19-thousand miles — closer than the Moon is to the Earth.

 

cover photo: Oakley Observatory at Rose-Hulman..Bryan Cantwell/Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology