Apophis 2029: the first asteroid you'll ever see with your own eyes

Closer than your satellites

At closest approach Apophis comes within about 31,000 kilometres of Earth's surface — nearer than the geostationary satellites orbiting at roughly 36,000 km (NASA). That's extraordinarily close for an object this size, and it's what makes the asteroid briefly bright: near peak it reaches roughly magnitude 3, about as bright as a middling star in the Big Dipper, and visible without any equipment from a reasonably dark site.

Will it hit Earth? No — and that's settled

This is the first question everyone asks, and the answer is a clear no. When Apophis was discovered in 2004 it briefly held the highest impact odds ever recorded for a large asteroid, which is why it carries the name of an Egyptian god of chaos. But precise radar tracking during its 2021 approach let NASA rule out any impact risk for at least the next century. The 2029 pass is now one of the most accurately predicted events in astronomy — a certainty we can build a page around three years in advance. It's a spectacle, not a threat.

Where and when to look

The flyby favours observers in Europe, Africa and western Asia, where Apophis rides high in a dark sky during closest approach. From the Americas the asteroid is fainter and lower. Exactly when it's best placed depends on your longitude, and the precise track across the constellations will be published by observatories closer to the date; we'll link the authoritative finder charts here as they appear.

What it actually looks like

Don't expect a fireball. Apophis will look like a modest star that, unlike every other star, is moving — noticeably drifting against the fixed background over minutes, because it is so close and moving so fast. A pair of binoculars makes the motion obvious and is the ideal tool; with the naked eye from a dark site you can track it as a slow-travelling point of light. From a bright city it may be washed out entirely, which is the one thing you can control in advance.

How to be ready three years out

• Know your sky. The darker your site, the more certain the sighting. Use the forecast tool to find dark-sky places near you and how their skies behave.
• Get comfortable with binoculars. The same 7×50 or 10×50 binoculars that show you the Moon and star clusters are perfect for catching Apophis's motion.
• Bookmark this page. As 2029 approaches we'll add the finder charts, the local timing by region, and — when it's within the forecast horizon — the cloud outlook for your spot.