Asteroid Apophis to Fly Within 32,000 km of Earth, Visible to Most of World in 2029

On 13 April 2029 the near‑Earth asteroid 99942 Apophis will pass roughly 31,600–32,000 km from Earth, closer than the orbit of geostationary satellites. At that distance the 340‑450 metre rock will be bright enough to be seen with the naked eye, offering a rare seven‑hour window during which up to 90 % of the global population can observe the event from continents including Europe, Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas.

First identified in 2004, Apophis was once considered a high‑impact threat, but two decades of refined observations have ruled out any collision risk for at least the next century. Scientists will use the close approach to study the asteroid’s shape, rotation and surface composition with ground‑based telescopes, radar and planned spacecraft such as NASA’s OSIRIS‑APEX, while continuing to monitor its trajectory for future passes.

The approach is described as a “once‑in‑several‑thousand‑years” astronomical spectacle, providing both public viewing opportunities and valuable scientific data without posing a danger to Earth.