99942 Apophis

Rare card · No. 26459

99942 Apophis (provisional designation 2004 MN4) is a near-Earth asteroid classified as a potentially hazardous object. Its mean diameter is about 340–370 metres (1,120–1,210 ft), while radar observations indicate an elongated shape with a long axis of about 450 metres (1,480 ft) and suggest that it may be bilobed. It was discovered on 19 June 2004 by Roy A. Tucker, David J. Tholen, and Fabrizio Bernardi at Kitt Peak National Observatory. The asteroid was numbered 99942 in 2005 and named after Apophis, the Greek name of the ancient Egyptian serpent deity Apep. Apophis attracted widespread attention shortly after its discovery because early orbit calculations indicated a possible collision with Earth on 13 April 2029. The estimated probability reached 2.7% on 27 December 2004, and Apophis was rated level 4 on the Torino scale, the highest rating attained by any object. Later that day, the identification of a precovery image from March 2004 extended the observation arc and eliminated the...

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