Astronomer Yazev called the approach of the asteroid Apophis to the Earth safe.

The asteroid Apophis will not collide with Earth during its closest approach to the planet on April 13, 2029. This was announced on April 28 by Sergey Yazev, a leading researcher at the Institute of Solar-Terrestrial Physics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Professor at Irkutsk State University (IGU).

An object about 350 m in size will pass 32 thousand km from the Earth's surface. This will be a unique event, as the orbit of a number of near—Earth satellites is located higher - at the level of 40 thousand km.

"He will pass close, but still pass by. This is confirmed by long-term calculations carried out by scientific teams around the world. The refinement of the Apophis trajectory continues continuously. There is confidence that there will be no collision," he told TASS.

The asteroid Apophis was discovered in 2004. Missions of the OSIRIS-APEX (NASA) and RAMSES (ESA) spacecraft are planned to study it closely. In addition, the D. V. Skobeltsyn Research Institute of Nuclear Physics at Moscow State University is working on a draft Russian mission. Within its framework, a small satellite should get closer to the object in order to take pictures, and the possibility of landing a soil collection vehicle is also being considered.

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Honorary Doctor of Sciences, lecturer Sergey Chumakov told Izvestia on April 20 that 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. According to him, the celestial body will pass at a distance of less than 40 thousand km from the surface of the planet, which is considered a rare phenomenon.