136993 (1998 ST49)

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
• Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
• Will pass within 27,478,402 km of Earth in 2142
• Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

136993 (1998 ST49) is a small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 1998 ST49 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.

1998 ST49 orbits the sun every 1,280 days (3.50 years), coming as close as 0.93 AU and reaching as far as 3.68 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 1998 ST49 is probably between 0.715 to 1.600 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than ~97% of asteroids but small compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge.

The rotation of 1998 ST49 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 2.30 hours.

1998 ST49's spectral type None (Tholen) / Q (SMASSII) indicates that it is likely to contain .

Close Approaches

1998 ST49's orbit is 0.05 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 ST49 has 4 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Images and Observations

1998 ST49's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 29, 1998. It was last officially observed on April 28, 2020. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 1,021 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 ST49:

• 326 Tamara (A892 FD)
• 428 Monachia (A897 WA)
• 654 Zelinda (A908 AM)

References

• JPL Small Body Database
• Mission Design
• Sky Finder Chart

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 136993 (1998 ST49) 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 ST49 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.