We think about homeland security so much that we often forget about the security of the homeworld. Yes, the homeworld- Earth. Third rock from Sol. Several decades ago, the idea of stray spatial objects striking Earth and causing immense damage was the stuff of science-fiction. The Earth is so small and space is so vast that such a thing would never happen.

Tell that to the asteroid they’ve dubbed “Apophis.”

The largely unsung heroes of the world of astronomy, those who search the skies and charts for asteroids, comets, literally anything that could cause massive damage to Earth, have found the big one. Last year, a relatively benign but large asteriod was located by astronomers. Originally codenamed 2004MN4, several researchers paid some extra attention to this half-mile in diameter chunk of hardened metal and rock. What they found was unsettling.

In 2029, this asteriod will pass within 15,000 miles of Earth. In astronomical terms, that’s a microscopic distance. By passing closer to Earth than the moon, Asteriod 2004MN4 stands a considerable chance of being pulled in by Earth’s gravitational field. The damage resulting from the faster-than-sound impact of millions of tons of metal and rock could potentially level an entire city, killing millions. Even if it misses Earth on the first time, it will assume an elliptical orbit, returning with the same threat every seven years until it is either destroyed or it strikes Earth.

Fittingly, the scientists renamed the asteriod “Apophis” after the Egyptian god of evil and destruction. It seems as though we’ve got some Stargate fans on our hands.

Technically, at this point, the asteriod is so far out that we could just to nail it with a heavy object to divert its course. But we can’t reach out that far, meaning we’re going to need more dramatic attempts later on. Think nuclear.

This may very well be one of the biggest “Stay tuned” stories that the 21st-century sees. Although, you probably won’t hear about it for another 20 years or so.

The irony.