'God of chaos' asteroid to pass close to Earth in 2029

If this is all true, OK< I'll agree this is close!
Closer than all our geosynchronous communications satellites,
22,000 miles.

from
https://abcnews.com/US/god-chaos-asteroid-pass-close-earth-2029/story?id=132027987

'God of chaos' asteroid to pass close to Earth in 2029
The approach will be close enough to see with the naked eye.

ByJulia Jacobo
April 14, 2026, 10:29 AM
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A rare asteroid will soon be visible to the naked eye in a rare 
celestial event, according to astronomers.

Asteroid 99942 Apophis – named after the Egyptian deity of chaos, 
darkness and fire – is expected to safely pass close to Earth on April 
13, 2029, according to NASA.

PHOTO: Near-Earth asteroid Apophis is a potentially hazardous asteroid 
that will safely pass close to Earth on April 13, 2029.
Near-Earth asteroid Apophis is a potentially hazardous asteroid that 
will safely pass close to Earth on April 13, 2029. It will come about 
20,000 miles (32,000 kilometers) from our planet’s surface — closer than 
the distance of many satellites in geosynchronous orbit (about 22,236 
miles, or 36,000 kilometers, in altitude).
NASA
The asteroid will pass within roughly 20,000 miles of Earth – nearly 12 
times closer than the moon's average distance from Earth, and closer 
than many satellites in geosynchronous orbit – making it one one of the 
closest approaches ever recorded for an object if its size and a "very 
rare event," according to NASA.

The approach will be visible to observers on the ground in the Eastern 
Hemisphere, weather permitting, according to NASA. It will be close 
enough that sky-watchers won't need a telescope or binoculars to see it, 
astronomers say.

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When Apophis was first discovered in 2004, it was labeled a potentially 
hazardous asteroid because of the possibility that it could impact Earth 
in 2029, 2036 or 2068, according to NASA.

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After closely tracking the asteroid and its orbit using optical 
telescopes and ground-based radar, astronomers are now confident that 
there is no risk of Apophis impacting Earth for at least 100 years.

PHOTO: On April 13, 2029, Apophis will pass less than 32,000 km from 
Earth’s surface.
On April 13, 2029, Apophis will pass less than 32,000 km from Earth’s 
surface. Roughly 375 m across on average, Apophis will, for a short 
time, be closer to Earth than telecommunications satellites in 
geostationary orbit and will be visible in the night sky to the naked 
eye from much of Europe, Africa and Asia.
ESA - Science Office
The Earth's gravitational pull could change the asteroid's orbit around 
the sun as it passes in 2029, making the orbit slightly larger or the 
orbital period slightly longer, but the risk of impact with Earth will 
remain the same, NASA says. Its close passage will also afford 
astronomers around the world the opportunity to learn more about the 
asteroid.

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Apophis is the Greek name for the Egyptian god known as Apep. The name 
was proposed by the astronomers who discovered the asteroid: Roy Tucker, 
David Tholen and Fabrizio Bernardi of the Kitt Peak National Observatory 
near Tucson, Arizona.

PHOTO: These images of asteroid Apophis were recorded in March 2021 by 
radio antennas at the Deep Space Network’s Goldstone complex in 
California and the Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia.
These images of asteroid Apophis were recorded in March 2021 by radio 
antennas at the Deep Space Network’s Goldstone complex in California and 
the Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia. The asteroid was 10.6 million 
miles (17 million kilometers) away from Earth.
NASA/JPL-Caltech and NSF/AUI/GBO
The asteroid is a relic of the early solar system from about 4.6 billion 
years ago, made of leftover raw material that was never part of a planet 
or moon, according to NASA. Though its exact size and shape is unknown, 
it has a mean diameter of about 1,115 feet and a long axis of at least 
1,480 feet.

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Apophis' surface is weathered due to eons of exposure to space weather, 
including solar wind and cosmic rays, according to the Massachusetts 
Institute of Technology.

Observatories around the world and in space will observe the asteroid's 
historic approach to Earth in order to better understand its physical 
properties.

PHOTO: Egyptian Snake-God Apep (Apophis)
Ancient Egyptian snake-god Apep (Apophis), a giant snake with human 
legs, snake-god of the underworld, illustration from the book "Pantheon 
Egyptien" by Leon Jean Joseph Dubois, 1824. From the New York Public 
Library.
Smith Collection/gado via Getty Images
NASA has redirected a spacecraft to rendezvous with Apophis shortly 
after its close approach in 2029, while the European Space Agency is 
sending a spacecraft to study it.

When the April 2029 flyby occurs, Apophis will become a member of the 
"Apollo" group, the family of asteroids that cross Earth's orbit but 
that themselves have orbits around the sun that are wider than the 
Earth's, according to the ESA.

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