Asteroid Apophis threads inside Earth's own ring of geostationary satellites on 13 April 2029. Drag the slider below to move through the flyby and watch the real minimum distance appear in the facts panel.
Published figures (NASA JPL Center for Near-Earth Object Studies + ESA NEOCC): on 13 April 2029, asteroid 99942 Apophis passes about 31,600 km from Earth's surface - closer than the geostationary satellite ring at about 35,786 km altitude. Apophis is about 340-450 m across and will be naked-eye visible over parts of the Eastern Hemisphere. Radar tracking has ruled out any impact risk for at least the next 100 years.
Drag to orbit Earth and scroll or pinch to zoom. Drag the slider to move from three days before to three days after the flyby, or click "Jump to closest approach" to snap straight to 13 April 2029.
Apophis 2029 Flyby 3D Explorer
This browser explorer draws asteroid 99942 Apophis's real close approach to Earth on 13 April 2029. Drag the slider to move through the flyby and watch the asteroid thread just inside Earth's own ring of geostationary satellites, with the live distance shown in the facts panel.
Apophis is a real, tracked near-Earth asteroid, not a hypothetical scenario. On 13 April 2029 it passes about 31,600 km from Earth's surface - closer than the satellites that broadcast television and relay weather data from geostationary orbit at about 35,786 km altitude. NASA JPL's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies has used decades of radar and optical tracking to rule out any impact risk for at least the next 100 years.
- Drag the slider to move from three days before to three days after the flyby
- Click "Jump to closest approach" to snap straight to 13 April 2029
- Watch the live distance readout cross inside the geostationary ring at closest approach
- Drag to orbit the camera around Earth, scroll or pinch to zoom
- Runs fully in the browser with the vendored three.js engine - no account, no upload
| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Close approach date | 13 April 2029 |
| Minimum distance from Earth's surface | about 31,600 km (about 19,600 miles) |
| Geostationary satellite altitude (for comparison) | about 35,786 km |
| Diameter | about 340-450 m (radar estimate ~375 m) |
| Naked-eye visibility | about magnitude 3, parts of the Eastern Hemisphere |
| Impact risk | ruled out for at least the next 100 years |
These figures come from NASA JPL's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) close-approach tables and the European Space Agency's Near-Earth Object Coordination Centre (NEOCC), which independently publish the same distance and date. Both agree Apophis will pass inside geostationary altitude - a genuinely close approach by asteroid standards, without any impact risk.
This page focuses on the 2029 flyby geometry itself - how close Apophis comes and when. For what happens when a much smaller object actually does reach the ground rather than passing by, see Chelyabinsk Meteor 3D Explorer. For how an impact crater forms on contact, see Impact Crater Formation 3D Explorer.
Everything renders on your device with WebGL. The 3D engine loads once (about 0.7 MB) and is cached.
This is an educational approximation, not an orbital simulation: the flyby path drawn here is a simplified straight line that passes Earth at the real published minimum distance, not a numerically integrated hyperbolic trajectory. Apophis itself is drawn far larger than true scale (a real object about 375 m across would be invisible at this zoom) so it can be seen and clicked. The date, minimum distance, diameter, and impact-risk clearance are the real published figures.
Frequently Asked Questions
How close will Apophis actually come to Earth?
On 13 April 2029, asteroid 99942 Apophis will pass about 31,600 km from Earth's surface - closer than the geostationary satellite ring, which orbits at about 35,786 km altitude.
Will Apophis hit Earth in 2029?
No. NASA JPL's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies has used decades of radar and optical tracking to rule out any impact risk from Apophis for at least the next 100 years.
Can I see Apophis with my own eyes during the flyby?
Yes, in favorable locations. During the close approach Apophis will reach about magnitude 3, making it naked-eye visible over parts of the Eastern Hemisphere (Africa, Europe, and western Asia) under dark skies.
How big is Apophis?
Radar observations put its diameter at roughly 340 to 450 m, with a refined estimate of about 375 m - roughly the length of several football fields, though far too small to see without a telescope or naked-eye viewing during the closest approach.
Is the asteroid's path on this page a real orbital simulation?
No. This page draws a simplified straight-line path that passes Earth at the real published minimum distance, not a numerically integrated hyperbolic trajectory. The date, minimum distance, diameter, and impact-risk clearance shown are the real published figures.
Where do these numbers come from?
NASA JPL's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) close-approach tables and the European Space Agency's Near-Earth Object Coordination Centre (NEOCC), which independently publish matching distance and date figures for the 2029 flyby.