Rare asteroid expected to pass Earth closer than satellites

• Asteroid 99942 Apophis, named after an Egyptian god of chaos, is scheduled for a historic close flyby of Earth in 2029.
• The 1,115-foot-wide asteroid will pass within 20,000 miles of Earth, closer than geosynchronous satellites, on Friday, April 13.
• This rare event, occurring roughly once every few thousand years, will allow observers in the Eastern Hemisphere to see the asteroid without a telescope.
• NASA has confirmed that Apophis poses no collision threat to Earth for at least the next 100 years, despite initial concerns when discovered in 2004.
• Scientists are excited to study the asteroid's internal structure and physical properties, with NASA's OSIRIS-APEX and ESA's Ramses missions planned to rendezvous with it after the flyby.

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Asteroid set to pass ‘close’ to Earth - but you have time to prepare