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Asteroid Apophis to Safely Pass Earth in 2029

9/10/2025

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Summary

Story summary

Asteroid 99942 Apophis will fly close to Earth on April 13, 2029, visible to over 2 billion people in Africa and Western Europe.
It will appear as a faint star, comparable in brightness to stars in the Big Dipper.
Richard Binzel from MIT calls it a unique opportunity for scientific observation.
Initially thought to have a 2.7% impact chance in 2004, Apophis is now considered safe.
NASA's OSIRIS-REx and the European Space Agency's RAMSES mission will study Apophis before and after the flyby, testing planetary defense strategies.

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Story summary

Asteroid 99942 Apophis will fly close to Earth on April 13, 2029, visible to over 2 billion people in Africa and Western Europe.
It will appear as a faint star, comparable in brightness to stars in the Big Dipper.
Richard Binzel from MIT calls it a unique opportunity for scientific observation.
Initially thought to have a 2.7% impact chance in 2004, Apophis is now considered safe.
NASA's OSIRIS-REx and the European Space Agency's RAMSES mission will study Apophis before and after the flyby, testing planetary defense strategies.