Swiss camera will help monitor the close flyby of asteroid Apophis

Bernese camera helps investigate the asteroid "Apophis" Keystone-SDA

In April 2029, a camera from the University of Bern will help to analyse the asteroid Apophis which will pass close to Earth. The information obtained should help to improve measures against asteroid impacts.

On April 13, 2029, Apophis will pass the Earth at a distance of just 32,000 kilometres. The Earth’s gravitational pull will slightly deform the asteroid and influence its rotation. It is possible that small debris avalanches will be triggered, bringing material from the interior to the surface, as the University of Bern announced on Monday.

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This extremely rare event offers scientists the opportunity to study the physical properties and potential changes on the asteroid’s surface in detail.

The University of Bern will make a significant contribution to the RAMSES mission with the development of the CHANCES instrument (Color High-resolution Apophis Narrow-angle CamEra System).

“Our instrument will take detailed images of the surface of Apophis and will be able to detect subtle changes caused by the Earth’s gravitational pull,” explains Antoine Pommerol who is leading the development of CHANCES at the Physics Institute at the University of Bern.

The construction of instruments for space missions has a long tradition at the University of Bern. Numerous industrial and academic partners throughout Switzerland are involved in the project. International partners in France, Canada and Austria are also supplying components.

The European Space Agency (ESA) recently approved the RAMSES mission carried out jointly with the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA) at its Ministerial Council meeting.

Adapted from German by DeepL/ac

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