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Near‑Earth asteroid close approaches 2026‑2029

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2026-08-07 17:23 UTC → 2026-08-07 19:17 UTC · added removed

The Aten‑class asteroid (152637) 1997 NC1 safely passed Earth on 27 June 2026 at about 2.56 million km, with radar and optical tracking confirming zero impact risk and refining its size to 750 m–1.6 km. The event coincided with International Asteroid Day and spurred worldwide observation campaigns. The headline encounter on 13 April 2029 with will bring the 340‑m stony asteroid 99942 Apophis will bring it within 31,600–32,000 roughly 32 000 km of Earth—well inside the geostationary orbit belt and visible to most of the global population. NASA’s OSIRIS‑APEX, ESA’s RAMSES, JAXA’s DESTINY+ and a Chinese student CubeSat are being prepared to study Apophis’s spin, surface and gravitational response. Recent modeling by Italian, ESA and NASA scientists highlighted an additional concern: that fragments of space debris occupying in geostationary orbit could collide with Apophis during the flyby, intersect Apophis’s path, potentially compromising observations. The study, published in *The Planetary Science Journal*, stresses the need to monitor Italian researchers Giulia Schettino and mitigate space‑junk hazards alongside planetary‑defence preparations. The 2022 DART kinetic‑impact test, now examined by ESA’s Hera mission, continues to underscore early detection as essential for any future deflection effort. No impact threat from either asteroid is foreseen for at least the next century. Calculations by Italy’s Istituto di Fisica Applicata Nello Carrara estimate a small probability that Apophis could strike a piece Alessandro Rossi warned of human‑made debris while crossing the geostationary belt. Such an impact would likely produce only a minor crater and eject surface material, small but it real collision risk that could complicate affect data from the scientific measurements planned for the 2029 flyby. missions. OSIRIS‑APEX will therefore also monitor any debris‑interaction hazards, providing data that will inform preparations for Apophis’s the 2029 flyby and the subsequent 2036 approach. NASA and ESA have now formally ruled out any impact threat from Apophis for at least the next century, confirming earlier assessments. The agencies emphasize that the close approach in 2036. offers a rare opportunity for planetary‑science studies while underscoring the growing concern over orbital debris.

Versions

  1. 2026-08-07 19:17 UTC Near‑Earth asteroid close approaches 2026‑2029
  2. 2026-08-07 17:23 UTC Near‑Earth asteroid close approaches 2026‑2029
  3. 2026-08-06 17:55 UTC Near‑Earth asteroid close approaches 2026‑2029
  4. 2026-08-05 07:23 UTC Near‑Earth asteroid close approaches 2026‑2029
  5. 2026-08-01 04:36 UTC Near‑Earth asteroid close approaches 2026‑2029
  6. 2026-07-25 20:10 UTC Near‑Earth asteroid close approaches 2026‑2029

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