Apophis: The race to explore asteroids takes the closest route to Earth

Four years later, on April 13, 2029, to be precise, a large asteroid named Apophis will fly on Earth just 32,000 kilometers above the surface. Apophis was once thought to be on a collision course with our planet, like the recently identified asteroid known as the 2024 YR4. After the chances of hitting us were reduced to zero and estimated there would be some relief sighs, astronomers began planning a day that would become a very close flyby.