Apophis Countdown: Asteroid 'God Of Chaos' Will Pass Closer Than Satellites, Visible To Naked Eyes!

A near-Earth asteroid, 99942 Apophis, also dubbed the God of Chaos, will make a terrifyingly close encounter with Earth on April 13, 2029. With a mean diameter of 340 meters (1,115 feet), the asteroid has a long axis of at least 450 meters (1,480 feet). An asteroid of this size and this close passes by Earth once in a few thousand years. Apophis is grouped with Athens, a group of Earth-crossing asteroids with an orbital period that is shorter than 365 Earth days. If its orbital period around the Sun exceeds one year, it will be classified under the Apollo group.

Discovered on June 19, 2004, by astronomers Roy Tucker (1951-2021), David Tholen, and Fabrizio Bernardi at Kitt Peak National Observatory near Tucson, Arizona, scientists initially speculated it might impact Earth by either 2029, 2036, or 2068! The potentially hazardous asteroid has since been tracked and its path mapped out meticulously.

Apophis will not collide with Earth for at least not the next 100 years.

However, in 2029 the NEO will fly closest to the planet by nearly 20,000 miles, or about 32,000 kilometers. That is scarily closer than most satellites in geosynchronous orbit, which is about 22,326 miles, or 36,000 kilometers.

In its 2021 study Davide Farnocchia of NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) stated

"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. With the support of recent optical observations and additional radar observations, the uncertainty in Apophis' orbit has collapsed from hundreds of kilometers to just a handful of kilometers when projected to 2029. This greatly improved knowledge of its position in 2029 provides more certainty of its future motion, so we can now remove Apophis from the risk list."

The latest calculation of the trajectory of Apophis was done with a 70-meter radio antenna and the Deep Space Network (DSN) to track the asteroid's motion precisely with an accuracy of about 150 meters.

The scientists are trying to determine Apophis' spin state to determine its orientation. It will help scientists know if the NEO will cause "asteroid quakes" during the 2029 flyby.

For stargazers in the Eastern Hemisphere, the asteroid will be visible even without the aid of a telescope or binoculars.

Meanwhile, NASA's spacecraft OSIRIS-REx is on its way to rendezvous with Apophis for study and accompany its flyby in 2029.

See Also: Will Doomsday Asteroid 2024 YR4 Impact The Moon In 2032? NASA Shares Update With Latest James Webb Data

Cover: ESA