#asteroid day

… On April 13, 2029, the 340-meter asteroid will fly only about 32,000 km above Earth’s surface — closer than some satellites orbiting our planet. For a brief moment, it will appear in the night sky like a moving star drifting silently above Earth. And scientists are paying very close attention. As Apophis passes by, Earth’s gravity will slightly alter the asteroid’s path through space, giving researchers a once-in-a-generation opportunity to study how a massive object reacts during an extremely close planetary flyby. 🌌 Events like this are extraordinarily rare. An asteroid this large passes this close to Earth only once every few thousand years. For scientists, it’s a historic moment for planetary defense research. For the rest of us, it’s a reminder of how small our world really is beneath the vastness of space. And the most incredible part? We are the generation that gets to witness it. ☄️ Asteroid Day is held every June 30 to mark the 1908 Tunguska asteroid impact in Siberia. Co-founded in 2014 by Brian May, Rusty Schweickart, and Grigorij Richters, and UN-recognized since 2016, it promotes awareness of asteroid risks and planetary defense. With Apophis passing close to Earth in 2029, Asteroid Day events now use the flyby as a real-world example of why tracking near-Earth objects matters. Would you go outside to watch Apophis cross the night sky in 2029?