Chapter 1: The Discovery of Apophis

In a recent planetary defense exercise, observatories and spacecraft collaborated to "rediscover" the near-Earth asteroid Apophis. Contrary to the alarming headlines often seen in media, there are currently no immediate threats from hazardous asteroids.

IMAGE: Featured clockwise from the top left are three observatories that participated in a 2021 planetary defense exercise: NASA’s Goldstone planetary radar, the Mount Lemmon telescope of the Catalina Sky Survey, and NASA’s NEOWISE mission. The illustration at the bottom left depicts the trajectory of Apophis during its close approach in 2029. CREDIT: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

In December 2020, Apophis made a relatively close approach to Earth. This event was utilized as a practical test of our asteroid detection systems. The Minor Planet Center temporarily erased all existing data on Apophis from their surveys, effectively making it as if the asteroid had never been discovered.

The challenge was then handed over to various ground-based telescopes and surveys, which responded admirably. On December 4, 2020, the Catalina Sky Survey recorded the first detection of what was classified as a new object. Following this, ATLAS and Pan-STARRS also identified the "new" body. NASA’s NEOWISE then captured observations from space that were linked to the ground-based findings, providing insight into the asteroid's movement across the sky.

By December 23, the Minor Planet Center officially registered the object as a newly discovered near-Earth asteroid, prompting extensive calculations. A recent paper published in The Planetary Science Journal, led by Vishnu Reddy, emphasizes the significance of this real-world scientific endeavor, which rigorously tested the entire planetary defense framework—from initial detection to orbital analysis and assessing the asteroid's physical attributes, including potential impact scenarios.

The final validation of this exercise occurred in March 2021 when the Goldstone telescope conducted radar observations of Apophis during its closest approach. These observations enabled precise calculations of the asteroid’s velocity and distance, refining our understanding of its orbit. Ultimately, it was confirmed that Apophis does not pose an impact threat to Earth for at least the next century, a conclusion that aligns with earlier assessments.

This exercise demonstrated that our planetary defense systems are functioning as intended. However, it’s crucial to remain vigilant, as we cannot predict the success of missions like the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) in altering an asteroid's path.

The first video titled "NASA Is Now Preparing! After New Study Warns 'Apophis Asteroid Could Change Its Path'" discusses the implications of recent research on the trajectory of Apophis.

The second video "Apophis Impact More Likely Than NASA Thought! The Case of 2024 MK!" examines the increased likelihood of Apophis impacting Earth based on new findings.