This animation shows the distance between the Apophis asteroid and Earth at the time of the asteroid's closest approach. The blue dots are satellites that orbit the planet. The pink represents the International Space Station.

(NASA/JPL-Caltech)

At a Glance

The asteroid will pass within 19,000 miles of Earth on April 13, 2029.Known as 99942 Apophis, it is named for an Egyptian god of chaos and destruction.NASA says there is no chance of Apophis hitting the planet in 2029.

On April 13, 2029, an asteroid bigger than an aircraft carrier will fly by Earth about 19,000 miles above the surface, according to NASA.

That's closer than some of the satellites orbiting the planet.

But don't fret. NASA says observations have completely ruled out the possibility of the asteroid, known as 99942 Apophis, striking Earth in 2029.

That doesn't make researchers any less interested in it, however. At a session Thursday of the in College Park, Maryland, scientists will discuss how to take advantage of the asteroid being in the neighborhood.

“The Apophis close approach in 2029 will be ,” Marina Brozović, a radar scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said in a news release.

(MORE: An Asteroid Will Hit Earth Again at Some Point and We Have to Be Ready, NASA Administrator Says)

“We’ll observe the asteroid with both optical and radar telescopes. With radar observations, we might be able to see surface details that are only a few meters in size,” said Brozović, who works on radar observations of near-Earth objects (NEOs).

Apophis is estimated to be about . It's unusual for an asteroid of that size to pass so close to Earth, according to NASA. The asteroids that fly by at that distance tend to be about 15 to 30 feet wide.

“Apophis is a representative of about 2,000 currently known Potentially Hazardous Asteroids,” said Paul Chodas, director of JPL’s Center for Near Earth Objects Studies. “By observing Apophis during its 2029 flyby, we will gain important scientific knowledge that could one day be used for planetary defense.”

(WATCH: NASA to Ram Spacecraft into Asteroid in Planetary Defense Test)

Apophis is named for an that represents darkness, chaos and destruction. (Um, anyone think we should take another stab at that name?) On Friday the 13th in April 2029 (Oh, great!), the asteroid will first be visible to the naked eye over Australia. It will cross the Indian Ocean, and right about 6 p.m. EDT, it will streak above the Atlantic Ocean and start across the United States.

NASA says Apophis still has a small chance – less than 1 in 100,000 – of striking Earth many decades from now. Future observations of its position should rule out any possible impacts, according to the space agency.