138911 (2001 AE2)

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Amor-class Asteroid
• Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
• Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

138911 (2001 AE2) is a very small asteroid whose orbit approaches the orbit of Earth but does not cross it. NASA JPL has classified 2001 AE2 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.

2001 AE2 orbits the sun every 573 days (1.57 years), coming as close as 1.24 AU and reaching as far as 1.46 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2001 AE2 is probably between 0.344 to 0.769 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 90% of asteroids but tiny compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building.

The rotation of 2001 AE2 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 15.88 hours.

2001 AE2's spectral type None (Tholen) / T (SMASSII) indicates that it is likely to contain .

No Close Approaches

2001 AE2's orbit is 0.23 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.

Orbital simulations conducted by NASA JPL's CNEOS do not show any close approaches to Earth.

Images and Observations

2001 AE2's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Aug. 2, 1984. It was last officially observed on June 8, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 832 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 2001 AE2:

• 5645 (1990 SP)
• 7350 (1993 VA)
• 7482 (1994 PC1)

References

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

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 138911 (2001 AE2) 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 below comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 2001 AE2 to create an approximate landscape rendering with New York City in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.