99942 Apophis#Planetary Society competition
{{Short description|Potentially hazardous near-Earth asteroid}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2024}}
{{Infobox planet
| background = #FFC2E0
| discoverer = {{Unbulleted list
}}
| discovery_site = Kitt Peak
| minorplanet = yes
| name = 99942 Apophis
| symbol = 24px (rare)
| image = 99942 Apophis shape.png
| image_scale =
| caption = Model of 99942 Apophis's shape, assuming the entire surface is of a similar composition
| discovered = June 19, 2004
| earliest_precovery_date = March 15, 2004
| mpc_name = (99942) Apophis
| pronounced = {{IPAc-en|ə|ˈ|p|ɒ|f|ɪ|s}} or {{IPAc-en|ə|ˈ|p|oʊ|f|ɪ|s}}; (trad.) {{IPAc-en|ˈ|æ|p|ə|f|ɪ|s}}
| adjective = Apophidian {{IPAc-en|æ|p|ə|ˈ|f|ɪ|d|i|ə|n}} (Latin Apŏpidis)
| alt_names = {{Minor planet|2004 MN|4}}
| named_after = Ἄποφις Apophis
| mp_category = {{Hlist
| Aten
| NEO
| PHA
}}
| epoch = May 5, 2025
(JD 2460800.5)
| uncertainty = 0
| observation_arc = 6599 days (18.07 yr)
| aphelion = {{Convert|1.0987|AU|e6km|abbr=unit|lk=on}}
| semimajor = {{Convert|0.9224|AU|e6km|abbr=unit}}
| perihelion = {{Convert|0.7461|AU|e6km|abbr=unit}}
| eccentricity = 0.1911
| inclination = 3.341°
| asc_node = 203.9°
| arg_peri = 126.7°
| avg_speed = 30.73 km/s
| mean_anomaly = 90.28°
| mean_motion = 1.112°/day
| moid = {{Convert|0.000038|AU|e3km|abbr=unit}}{{efn|Like all orbital elements, the E-MOID changes depending on the epoch it is defined at. At epoch May 2025, the E-MOID is 0.000038 AU, but in early 2029 it will be around 0.00006 AU (ca 9000 km).}}
| jupiter_moid = 4.1 AU
| tisserand = 6.464
| abs_magnitude = {{Unbulleted list
}}
| dimensions = {{Unbulleted list
| {{Convert|0.370|km|abbr=on}}
}}
| mean_radius = {{Unbulleted list
| {{Convert|0.185|km|abbr=on}}
}}
| density = {{Unbulleted list
}}
| mass = {{Val|6.1e10|u=kg}} (assumed)
| rotation = {{Convert|30.4|h|d|abbr=on|lk=on}}
30.55±0.12 h
30.67±0.06 h
Tumbling:
27.38±0.07 h (precession period), 263±6 h (rotation period), 30.56±0.01 h (twice the period of harmonic with strongest lightcurve amplitude)
| albedo = {{Unbulleted list
}}
| single_temperature = 270 K
}}
99942 Apophis (provisional designation {{Minor planet|2004 MN|4}}) is a near-Earth asteroid and a potentially hazardous object, 450 metres (1,480 ft) by 170 metres (560 ft) in size, that caused a brief period of concern in December 2004 when initial observations indicated a probability of 0.027 (2.7%) that it would hit Earth on Friday, April 13, 2029. Additional observations provided improved predictions that eliminated the possibility of an impact on Earth in 2029. A small possibility nevertheless remained that, during its 2029 close encounter with Earth, Apophis would pass through a gravitational keyhole estimated to be 800 metres in diameter, which would have set up a future impact exactly seven years later on Easter Sunday, April 13, 2036.{{cite journal |last1=Giorgini |first1=Jon |display-authors=etal |date=October 4, 2007 |title=Predicting the Earth encounters of (99942) Apophis |url=http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/apophis/Apophis_PUBLISHED_PAPER.pdf |url-status=dead |journal=Icarus |volume=193 |pages=1–19 |doi=10.1016/j.icarus.2007.09.012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161222041852/http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/apophis/Apophis_PUBLISHED_PAPER.pdf |archive-date=December 22, 2016}} This possibility kept it at Level 1 on the 0 to 10 Torino impact hazard scale until August 2006, when the probability that Apophis would pass through the keyhole was determined to be very small and Apophis's rating on the Torino scale was lowered to Level 0. By 2008, the keyhole had been determined to be less than 1 km wide. During the short time when it had been of greatest concern, Apophis set the record for highest rating ever on the Torino scale, reaching Level 4 on December 27, 2004.
The discovery of Apophis in 2004 is rather surprising, because it is estimated that an asteroid as big or bigger coming so close to Earth happens only once in 800 years on average.{{cite journal|last1=Jon Giorgini|display-authors=etal|title=Predicting the Earth encounters of (99942) Apophis|journal=Icarus|date=October 4, 2007|volume=193 |pages=1–19 |doi=10.1016/j.icarus.2007.09.012|url=http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/apophis/Apophis_PUBLISHED_PAPER.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161222041852/http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/apophis/Apophis_PUBLISHED_PAPER.pdf|archive-date=December 22, 2016|url-status=dead}} Such an asteroid is expected to actually hit Earth once in about 80,000 years.
Preliminary observations by Goldstone radar in January 2013 effectively ruled out the possibility of an Earth impact by Apophis in 2036 (probability less than 1 in a million). In February 2013 the estimated probability of an impact in 2036 was reduced to {{val|7|e=-9}}. It is now known that in 2036, Apophis will approach the Earth at a third the distance of the Sun in both March and December, about the distance of the planet Venus when it overtakes Earth every 1.6 years. Simulations in 2013 showed that the Yarkovsky effect might cause Apophis to hit a "keyhole" in 2029 so that it will come close to Earth in 2051, and then could hit another keyhole and hit Earth in 2068. But the chance of the Yarkovsky effect having exactly the right value for this was estimated as 2 in a million. Radar observations in March 2021 helped to refine the orbit, and in March 2021 the Jet Propulsion Laboratory announced that Apophis has no chance of impacting Earth in the next 100 years.{{cite web|url=https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-analysis-earth-is-safe-from-asteroid-apophis-for-100-plus-years|title=NASA Analysis: Earth Is Safe From Asteroid Apophis for 100-Plus Years|date=March 25, 2021|publisher=Jet Propulsion Laboratory}}{{Cite web|last=Hurst|first=Luke|date=March 28, 2021|title=Asteroid Apophis won't hit Earth for at least 100 years, says NASA|url=https://www.euronews.com/2021/03/28/good-news-asteroid-apophis-won-t-hit-earth-for-at-least-100-years-says-nasa|access-date=April 2, 2021|website=euronews}} The uncertainty in the 2029 approach distance has been reduced from hundreds of kilometres to now just a couple of kilometres, greatly enhancing predictions of future approaches. Entering March 2021, six asteroids each had a more notable cumulative Palermo scale rating than Apophis, and none of those has a Torino level above 0.{{efn|name=palermo}} However, Apophis will continue to be a threat possibly for thousands of years until it is removed from being a potentially hazardous object, for instance by passing close to Venus or Mars.
Discovery and naming
File:PIA23195-AsteroidApophis-ClosestApproachToEarth-20190429.webm; April 29, 2019) (turquoise dots = artificial satellites; pink = International Space Station)
Apophis was discovered on June 19, 2004, by Roy A. Tucker, David J. Tholen, and Fabrizio Bernardi at the Kitt Peak National Observatory. On December 21, 2004, Apophis passed {{convert|0.0964|AU|Gm e6mi|abbr=unit|lk=on}} from Earth. Precovery observations from March 15, 2004, were identified on December 27, and an improved orbit solution was computed. Radar astrometry in January 2005 further refined its orbit solution. The discovery was notable in that it was at a very low solar elongation (56°) and at very long range (1.1 AU).{{citation needed|date=January 2024}}
When first discovered, the object received the provisional designation {{Minor planet|2004 MN|4}}, and early news and scientific articles naturally referred to it by that name. Once its orbit was sufficiently well calculated, it received the permanent number 99942 (on June 24, 2005). Receiving a permanent number made it eligible for naming by its discoverers, and they chose the name "Apophis" on July 19, 2005. Apophis is the Greek name of Apep, an enemy of the Ancient Egyptian sun-god Ra. He is the Uncreator, an evil serpent that dwells in the eternal darkness of the Duat and tries to swallow Ra during his nightly passage. Apep is held at bay by Set, the Ancient Egyptian god of storms and the desert.{{Cite web|url=https://ancientegyptonline.co.uk/apep/|title=Apep (Apophis)|publisher=Ancient Egypt Online|author=Hill, J.|year=2010|access-date=July 24, 2021}}
File:Apep 1.jpg facing Apep, tomb of Ramesses I, 19th Dynasty (c. 1292–1290 BC)]]
Tholen and Tucker, two of the co-discoverers of the asteroid, are reportedly fans of the television series Stargate SG-1. One of the show's persistent villains is an alien named Apophis. He is one of the principal threats to the existence of civilization on Earth through the first few seasons, thus likely why the asteroid was named after him. In the fictional world of the show, the alien's backstory was that he had lived on Earth during ancient times and had posed as a god, thereby giving rise to the myth of the Egyptian god of the same name.
File:Apophis symbol (fixed width).svg
The mythological creature Apophis is pronounced with the accent on the first syllable (/ˈæpəfɪs/).{{efn|This is normal for classical names in which the penultimate syllable is short.}} In contrast, the asteroid's name is generally accented on the second syllable ({{IPA|/əˈpoʊfɪs/}},{{Cite Dictionary.com|Apophis}} or {{IPA|/əˈpɒfɪs/}} as the name was pronounced in the TV series).As an example, here is David Tholen, the discoverer of the asteroid, pronouncing the name: {{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1307&v=AfE87Pi3SqE|title=DPS 52 Monday Press Conference|publisher=AAS Press Office|date=October 26, 2020|via=YouTube}}
Symbols were given to the first few asteroids in the 19th century, though this practice faded when it became clear that there were a great number of them: such symbols are now extremely rarely used by astronomers. In 2008, Denis Moskowitz, a software engineer who devised most of the dwarf planet symbols in Unicode, proposed a symbol for Apophis. His symbol is based on ancient Egyptian depictions of Apep. The added star is similar to many of the 19th-century asteroid symbols.{{cite book|last1=Finlay|first1=Alec|last2=Sharples|first2=Ray|last3=Moskowitz|first3=Denis|title=One Hundred Year Star-Diary: 2008-2107|publisher=Platform Projects/Morning Star|isbn=9780955202711|oclc=316730683|date=April 24, 2008}}{{cite web|title=Symbols for One Hundred Year Star-Diary|first=Alec|last=Finlay|publisher=Kielder Observatory Astronomical Society|url=https://suberic.net/~dmm/astro/diary.html|date=April 2, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081012183213/https://suberic.net/~dmm/astro/diary.html|archive-date=October 12, 2008|url-status=live}}