This year has been filled with cosmic events from solar storms that have brought wonderful northern light sightings on Earth.
And let's not forget this year's solar eclipse which saw a rare path of 'totality' pass directly through the US and Canada.
But there's one event coming up in the next fear year that will top them all - probably the rarest space event the world will ever get to witness.
The 99942 Apophis is headed our way to planet Earth.
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The occasion is so special that even the European Space Agency (ESA) has called the anticipated event “one of the rarest space events of our lives”.
In an X (formerly Twitter) post, the ESA shared: “The 2029 flyby is an incredibly rare event. By comparing impact craters across the Solar System with the sizes and orbits of all known asteroids.
"Scientists believe that an asteroid as large as Apophis only comes this close to Earth once every 5,000 to 10,000 years.”
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Measuring 375 metres (1,230 feet) in diameter, Apophis was first discovered in 2004 and observations placed it at level two on the Torino impact hazard scale.
By December last year, it had been upgraded to level four due to a 1.6% chance of hitting Earth in 2029.
For context, NASA explains that level four on the Torino Impact Hazard scale is: “A close encounter, meriting attention by astronomers. Current calculations give a 1% or greater chance of collision capable of regional devastation.
“Most likely, new telescopic observations will lead to re-assignment to Level 0. Attention by public and by public officials is merited if the encounter is less than a decade away.”
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And its potential threat to Earth even inspired its name - Apophis, after the Ancient Egyptian god of darkness and chaos.
Luckily, studies have shown that Apophis will not collide with Earth in 2029, more like a major near-miss.
Apophis will be coming within 32,000 kilometres of the Earth's surface, which is closer to our planet than many of our satellites in orbit.
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People in the Eastern Hemisphere will get the best view as they'll be able to see the event without a telescope or binoculars.
These near-misses will also continue in the years 2036 and 2068.
Davide Farnocchia of NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies said of the asteroid: “A 2068 impact is not in the realm of possibility anymore and our calculations don’t show any impact risk for at least the next 100 years.”