2018 JP is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2018 JP as a "Near Earth Asteroid" due to its orbit's proximity to Earth, but it is not considered potentially hazardous because computer simulations have not indicated any imminent likelihood of future collision.
2018 JP orbits the sun every 545 days (1.49 years), coming as close as 0.98 AU and reaching as far as 1.63 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2018 JP is probably between 0.006 to 0.026 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.
2018 JP's orbit is 0.00 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.
2018 JP has 3 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
| Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
|---|---|---|
| May 5, 2021 | 4,358,321 | 7.862 |
| April 26, 2024 | 17,995,711 | 9.971 |
| May 9, 2100 | 1,232,964 | 7.440 |
2018 JP's orbit is determined by observations dating back to May 7, 2018. It was last officially observed on May 9, 2018. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 68 observations used to determine its orbit.
2018 JP can be reached with a journey of 362 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 10.533 km/s. To put this into perspective, the delta-v to launch a rocket to Low-Earth Orbit is 9.7 km/s. There are 236 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.
See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2018 JP.
The position of 2018 JP is indicated by a ◯ pink circle. Note that the object may not be in your current field of view. Use the controls below to adjust position, location, and time.