Twenty-five years ago Apophis was the most dangerous asteroid ever found. On 13 April 2029 it passes closer than our satellites, and we know to the minute where it will be. Thousands of us will gather under one dark sky to watch the near miss we earned.
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375 meters of rock, moving at 7.4 km per second, threading the ring where our weather and communication satellites orbit. An object this size comes this close roughly once every 5,000 to 10,000 years. This time half the planet can watch it with the naked eye.
From the ground it looks like a bright star moving steadily across the sky, fast enough to see it shift against the stars in a minute or two.
Apophis is a planetary defense success story. We found it, measured it, ruled out every impact, and sent spacecraft to meet it. The near miss is the proof that watching the sky works.
In Egyptian myth, Apophis is the serpent of chaos who tries to swallow the sun every night, and every night is held back. Astronomers chose the name in 2004, when this rock looked like it might be the real thing.
The ancient story ends the same way ours does. The light holds.
Apophis is visible to the naked eye across Europe, Africa, the Middle East and western Asia. The best views are where it passes high in a dark, dry sky, ideally while it's still up at closest approach. North America sees almost nothing. Our site is still to be announced.
| Region | Peak mag. | Height | Best local time | Clear skies, mid-April | Up at 21:45 UTC | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canary IslandsTeide, La Palma | 2.8 | ~75° | 9:30–10:30 pm | 71% | Yes | Observatory peaks sit above the clouds |
| MauritaniaAtar, Richat Structure | 2.8 | ~79° | 8:30–9:00 pm | 72% | Yes | Deep Sahara, nearly overhead |
| MoroccoOuarzazate, Sahara edge | 2.8 | ~69° | 9:30–10:00 pm | 76% | Yes | Desert camps, easy access |
| Southern EuropeSpain, Sicily, Malta | 2.8–2.9 | 50–62° | 10:30 pm | 63–67% | Yes | Short flights, more cloud risk |
| EgyptLuxor, Western Desert | 2.9 | ~58° | 10:00–10:30 pm | 82% | No | Very clear, sets before closest approach |
| JordanWadi Rum | 2.9 | ~53° | 11:00–11:30 pm | 79% | No | Very clear, sets before closest approach |
| NamibiaSossusvlei | 2.9 | ~61° | 10:00–10:30 pm | 86% | No | Clearest skies, sets before closest approach |
Lower magnitude means brighter. Heights and times from NASA JPL's ephemeris; clear-sky odds are long-term averages for the nearest town (WeatherSpark), and mountaintop sites usually do better.
Concept imagery. From Earth, Apophis appears as a bright moving star.
No. Radar measurements in 2021 ruled out any impact in 2029 and for at least the next 100 years. It passes about 31,900 km above the surface and heads back out into space.
Yes, with clear, dark skies and no telescope. It looks like a bright star, about as bright as the Big Dipper, moving steadily across the sky. Binoculars and telescopes on site show it sliding against the stars in real time.
Friday 13 April 2029. Apophis is brightest around 20:35 UTC and closest at 21:45 UTC. The Moon is new that night, so the sky is as dark as it gets.
To be announced. The full pass is visible from Europe, Africa and the Middle East, and we're choosing a site with dry air, dark skies and Apophis nearly overhead. Join the list to hear first.
From North America you'll barely see it. Elsewhere, city lights and clouds can hide a star-like object. And a once-in-thousands-of-years moment is better shared.
Yes. ESA's Ramses arrives before the flyby and rides along with Apophis through it. NASA's OSIRIS-APEX arrives afterward to study how Earth's gravity changed it.
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