Astronomer Paul Wiegert had found a scenario in which Apophis could be sent careening into Earth in 2029. But we’d have to be extremely unlucky.

Apophis, a large asteroid measuring 340-450 meters, will pass within 37,000 kilometers of Earth in April 2029. Though visible to the naked eye, the chance of collision remains low.

Apophis will come close enough to Earth to be seen with the naked eye in 2029, but a chance encounter with another asteroid could steer 'God of Destruction' space rock destructively close on a future pass.

Asteroid Apophis doesn’t currently pose a threat to Earth when it passes by in a few years, but an astrophysicist has envisioned a scenario where that could change.

The results of his study suggest that an object as small as 0.6 meters across could potentially nudge the asteroid onto a collision trajectory post-2029. Astonishingly, an object just 3.4 meters across could strike with enough force to set Apophis on an Earth-collision path by 2029.

Asteroid Apophis was initially discovered in 2004 and immediately became a talking point as potentially hazardous asteroids, which have widths of 460 feet or more and come within 20 lunar distances of the Earth.

EARTH could collide with its deadly cosmic neighbour, Apophis, an asteroid 1,100ft (335m) wide, should a rare chain event occur, according to a new study. Though it would be a one in a billion