The asteroid Apophis, named for the Egyptian God the Destroyer, the demon serpent of darkness, will come very close to the earth in 2029. As a Catholic, I find that the name alone is a little unsettling. It was originally discovered in 2004 and caused a stir when scientists thought that a direct impact was probable. Since then, their prognostications have changed. On April 13, 2029, it seems that this 1,100 to 1,500-foot object will actually pass between the earth and our orbiting communication satellites. Closer than our orbiting satellites ? You bet. To tell you the truth, that is “really” close as it passes only 18,300 miles above our heads and is viewable with the naked eye as a bright point of light. (That’s like getting a crew-cut with the cut settings set on long)

It is said that many scientist agree that Apophis warrants closer scrutiny. And I for one, this it is certainly worthy of following as we move through the years ahead. A good place to catch the latest updates is at the NASA Near Earth Object Program site.

The Planetary Society,  a California based space advocacy group felt that the Apophis asteroid merited immediate attention and  conducted a $50,000 competition that encouraged companies to come up with a design for an unmanned space probe that could be placed on or near the asteroid for a year, taking measurements and compiling data for trajectory. There were 37 entries from 20 countries on 6 continents.

We certainly have many years to come up with something and it is imperative that accurate data can be obtained due to the close approach of this asteroid. Until that time, it doesn’t hurt to be on a first name basis with the Creator and Master of all the heavens and to implore His divine providence.

Watch NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory presentation

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