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The event is so rare because of its large size – 375 meters (1230 feet) average diameter – as well as its proximity to the Earth.

“The 2029 flyby is an incredibly rare event,” ESA explained in an X post. “By comparing impact craters across the Solar System with the sizes and orbits of all known asteroids, scientists believe that an asteroid as large as Apophis only comes this close to Earth once every 5,000 to 10,000 years.