Overview
- The 1,115-foot asteroid will pass about 20,000 miles from Earth, closer than many geosynchronous satellites, and it should be visible to the naked eye in the Eastern Hemisphere.
- NASA says there is no risk of Apophis hitting Earth for at least the next 100 years.
- NASA has retasked its OSIRIS-APEX spacecraft to reach Apophis in June 2029 for an 18-month study that includes firing thrusters to stir up surface dust.
- The European Space Agency plans a Ramses probe to accompany the asteroid during its closest approach after launching in time to meet it before the pass.
- Scientists expect Earth’s gravity to tug the surface, shift rocks, and tweak the spin, and they note that a pass this close by an object this large occurs only once every few thousand years.