Apophis is one of the most infamous asteroids in history, and now it seems to be back in the

spotlight lately, as astronomers prepare to get the last good glimpse of the asteroid before the
well-known 2029 “impact”.

Relax, fellow readers of mine, this is not an apocalyptic article telling you to pack your stuff and
move to Mars, although there are lots of them over the internet, and writing from Mars seems
like one of the best ideas for me. But for now, let’s dive deeper and find out what’s the thing with
this Apophis asteroid, what’s happening with that “good glimpse”, and what on Earth is the
“impact” in 2029?

First things first, we are talking about asteroid ​99942 Apophis, ​in its full name. 99942 because
why not? (just kidding, I’ll explain in a moment), and Apophis because of its close approaches to
Earth, approaches which made this asteroid appropriate for being an Egyptian “demon serpent
who personified evil and chaos”. And then we wonder why this asteroid is considered so scary.
Well, let me use the Apophis thing to get a little bit more in the general topic of asteroids (we are
supposed to learn something from here, other than hiding in the basement right?)

Let’s get a bit more into: asteroids

I guess most of you know what an asteroid is: a big (or not that big) chunk of rock floating
through the Solar System, basically. Good to know is that big asteroids can be called
planetoids​, meaning that their size can still be considerable. Regarding their size and potential
for damage there is no joke, as most of you are aware that life was seriously threatened a few
(65 million) years ago, when an asteroid made most forms of life go extinct.

Asteroids are mainly composed of minerals and rocks. They can be classified by their
composition in three categories: C-type (carbonaceous), S-type (silicaceous) and M-type
(metallic). They are mainly remnants from the formation of planets in the Solar System, or rocks
too small to become planets, or just pieces of rocks torn apart by the high gravity exerted by
massive planets. What is for sure, is that the Solar System has many of them. There actually is
an ​asteroid belt​ in the Solar System, located between Mars and Jupiter. Of course, a lot of
asteroids are just floating around, because of various reasons, mostly misunderstandings with
other big objects which threw them away, guess how, with the help of the holy force of the
Universe, gravity. As intuitive as it is to think that gravity can only attract things, it is good to
know that it can also throw away moving objects. Anyway, asteroids are moving things, all the
time, and thus susceptible to orbit changes, over time.
Regarding the discovery or recognition of an asteroid, what is at the basis is that it all starts after
an asteroid is observed in two consecutive nights by an observer. The process until naming is
long, but that is how it all begins.

After it gets recognition as a possible asteroid, it gets a provisional name. Mostly, it makes
sense, because it has the year the discovery has been made, and a designation representing
the time of the year. Asteroids discovered in the first half of January are designated with AA,
AB, AC, and so on. For those in the second half of Jan it would be BA, BB, BC, and so on. For
example, an asteroid discovered at the time I’m writing, would be provisionally named 2021 C
something. Pretend it’s the second discovery, it would be 2021 CB. If you want the asteroid to
get a permanent name, you need to prove that it has been observed more times, and preferably
from more locations. If, let’s say, 25000 asteroids are discovered in a year, about 10000 get
permanent names. Depending on its popularity, it can get various names, and you can do that
by proposing a name to the Small Bodies Committee of the International Astronomical Union.

So how did Apophis get its ​99942​ number? What is for sure, it is a permanent number, but the
exact meaning I cannot tell you. I leave this upon my reader’s intelligence to find its meaning.

So what’s with all the fuss about Apophis?

Well, it is a rather unusual asteroid, as it was first spotted in 2004 (June 19, if you want to be
precise), and at first its name was 2004 MN. Actually, when in 2005 its discoverers got the
chance to permanently name it, they chose the name ​Apophis, ​also because they were fans of
a SF series, ​Stargate SG-1, ​in which Apophis is a villain threatening the existence of human
civilization. After the first calculation, it seemed to pose a 3% risk of colliding with Earth. That
was the biggest number we’ve had for this asteroid. 3%. Still, it posed a threat. It was expected
in 2029. Further calculations showed that a minimal threat could be expected in 2036, and then
the date moved to 2068. But the problem is, we can’t really predict events happening in such a
long time. So the fuss is really for nothing. Well, not really. Let me explain.

On April 13, 2029, the asteroid will pass above Earth’s surface at a distance similar to that of
geostationary satellites, though it won’t come closer than 31200 kilometers. Impacts in 2029 and
2036 have been ruled out, and for the 2968 approach the odds are 1 in 150000. Well, I’ll be
watching from my Mars hotel, anyway.

Now, the ​fuss​ is because such an event is very rare, being an approach that happens every
1000 years or so. It will be a huge opportunity for scientists to study the asteroid, and even more
than just looking at it, they will look at the effects high gravity has upon the asteroid. It may even
destroy it. So, astronomers will all be waving towards the asteroid in 2029, and with hundreds of
instruments in their hands (not really, but let’s keep it like that for the sake of the image).

What’s happening this year?

Apophis will come rather “close” this year too, and it will help astronomers look closely at the
hunk of rock, and predict its behavior even more. All telescopes (metaphorically speaking) will
be headed towards Apophis in April 2021. The NASA NEOWISE Infrared Space Telescope will
be used, and the Goldstone Observatory will also work on the observations. Hopefully, we’ll get
everything we want to know until the next close encounters.

To all my readers, I salute you again, and wish you all clear skies. Maybe you’ll even see an
asteroid! (with the naked eye, small chances, to be honest)