Observing Apophis's 2029 flyby from earth-moon L2 with LUMIO
Beijing Institute of Technology Press Co., LtdPeer-Reviewed Publication
Apophis will make an extremely close flyby of Earth on April 13, 2029, at a distance of approximately 31,029 km—an event unprecedented for an asteroid of this size—providing a valuable natural experiment for studying tidal interactions, spin-state variations, and surface material migration between the asteroid and Earth. A large number of ground-based observations and space missions are expected to participate, but most observations will be concentrated from Earth's perspective, leaving observational blind spots as Apophis rapidly recedes from Earth's view after the flyby. LUMIO (Lunar Meteoroid Impacts Observer) is a 12U CubeSat of the European Space Agency, planned to be deployed in a quasi-halo orbit around the Earth–Moon L2 point; its primary mission is to observe meteoroid impact flashes on the lunar farside, with a launch expected in 2028. However, three critical questions remain unanswered: whether LUMIO-Cam—a camera designed for observing impact flashes—can detect Apophis as a sub-pixel target, whether it can resolve fluctuations in its light curve, and whether it can observe for a sufficiently long duration to obtain complete spin-period information.
- Journal
- Space: Science & Technology