(99942) Apophis Aten
Discovered on 19 June 2004 by Tucker, R. A., Tholen, D. J., Bernardi, F. at Kitt Peak.
Also known as Apep, the Destroyer, Apophis is the Egyptian god of evil and destruction who dwelled in eternal darkness. As a result of its passage within 40 000 km of the earth on 2029 Apr. 13, this minor planet will move from the Aten to the Apollo class.Naming citation (20050721/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Apophis is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Apophis is 0.813 au from the Sun and 1.49 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 99942 |
| Provisional designation | 2004 MN4 |
| Orbit class | Aten · near-Earth · potentially hazardous |
| Diameter | 0.340 km (#17,435 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.350 |
| Rotation period | 30.6 hours |
| Spectral type | Sq |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 19.09 |
| Orbital period | 0.886 years |
| Semi-major axis | 0.922 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 0.746 – 1.10 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.191 |
| Inclination | 3.34° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.000108 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.