The United Nations has declared 2029 the ‘International Year of Asteroid Awareness and Planetary Defence’. The Asteroids2029 project is laying the groundwork for a rare celestial event : on 13 April 2029, the asteroid (99942) Apophis will pass close to Earth at a distance shorter than that of some artificial satellites, close enough to be potentially visible to billions of people. Whilst posing no risk of impact whatsoever, this flyby will offer a unique opportunity to raise public awareness of asteroids, their scientific significance and the challenges of planetary defence.
Damya Souami, researcher at LIRA, took part in the Asteroids2029 meetings, which bring together a global network of governments, space agencies, scientific institutions, teachers and communications experts. Under the motto ”Observe. Explore. Safeguard.”, the project aims to raise awareness of asteroids, both as scientific treasures and as potential hazards, whilst highlighting the international cooperation already in place to monitor and prevent the risk of impact.
The image is a realistic 3D rendering of Apophis passing by Earth, created by Robin Sultana, researcher at LIRA.
