The Doctor of Sciences assessed the risks of the asteroid Apophis approaching the Earth

The asteroid Apophis will approach the Earth at a minimum distance in 2029, but the probability of its collision with the planet remains extremely low. Honorary Doctor of Sciences, lecturer Sergey Chumakov told Izvestia about this on April 20.

"Throughout the 21st century, Apophis will not pose a threat to Earth, so its rapprochement will not bring any apocalyptic consequences," the expert noted.

According to Chumakov, the asteroid will pass at a distance of less than 40 thousand km from the surface of the planet, which is considered a rare phenomenon. At the same time, there is currently no reason to believe that its orbit will change and lead to a collision.

According to the Doctor of Sciences, Apophis belongs to the group of asteroids of the Atons, which regularly approach the Earth. It orbits the Sun in 324 days and periodically passes close to the planet. The closest approaches are expected in 2029, 2036, 2051 and 2066. The expert stressed that in 2029, the asteroid can be observed with the naked eye as a fast-moving dot in the night sky.

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