Planetary Defense Exercise Finds Apophis… Again

In a test of asteroid detection capabilities, several observatories and spacecraft participate in the “discovery” of asteroid Apophis.

IMAGE: Clockwise from top left are three of the 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. At bottom left is an illustration of the path of Apophis’ close approach in 2029. CREDIT: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

It’s been a moment since we brought you news of a hazardous asteroid because, well, there aren’t any hazardous asteroids at the moment. Don’t let sensational…