Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to Mount Everest (1.66 km diameter)
  • Will pass within 27,949,441 km of Earth in 2019
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

12538 (1998 OH) is a mid-sized asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 1998 OH as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

1998 OH orbits the sun every 699 days (1.91 years), coming as close as 0.92 AU and reaching as far as 2.17 AU from the sun. 1998 OH is about 1.7 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to Mount Everest.

The rotation of 1998 OH has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 2.58 hours.

Close Approaches

1998 OH's orbit is 0.03 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that there is a wide berth between this asteroid and Earth at all times.

1998 OH has 8 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
May 16, 2019 27,949,441 18.666
May 3, 2042 4,369,610 15.823
April 22, 2065 17,333,606 14.825
May 8, 2109 10,487,823 16.598
May 2, 2132 4,746,202 15.605
April 17, 2155 27,540,227 14.696
May 13, 2176 21,606,341 17.834
May 2, 2199 5,211,227 15.552

Images and Observations

1998 OH's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 10, 1991. It was last officially observed on Aug. 3, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 10,957 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

This asteroid is not considered a viable target for human exploration by the NHATS study.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 1998 OH:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.541 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4062
  • Inclination: 24.54°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 220.7°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 321.79°
  • Mean Anomaly: 111.08°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 1.66300 km
  • Magnitude: 15.97
  • Albedo: 0.232
  • Spectral type (SMASS): S:

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 699 days (1.91 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 23.98 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.17 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.92 AU
  • Rotation Period: 2.58 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 12538 (1998 OH) 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.

Size Rendering

The above comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 1998 OH to create an approximate landscape rendering with Mount Everest in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.