138947 (2001 BA40)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 138947 (2001 BA40)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building (0.45 km diameter)
  • Will pass within 27,922,835 km of Earth in 2027
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

138947 (2001 BA40) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2001 BA40 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 BA40 orbits the sun every 432 days (1.18 years), coming as close as 0.84 AU and reaching as far as 1.40 AU from the sun. 2001 BA40 is about 0.4 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 90% of asteroids but tiny compared to large asteroids, comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building.

Close Approaches

2001 BA40's orbit is 0.18 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.

2001 BA40 has 15 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
July 17, 2027 27,922,835 9.988
Aug. 5, 2040 29,291,177 9.472
May 4, 2046 29,155,190 9.430
May 23, 2059 27,762,436 9.818
June 9, 2072 27,151,242 10.167
June 27, 2085 27,212,670 10.250
July 16, 2098 27,963,948 10.008
Aug. 6, 2111 29,345,778 9.488
May 5, 2117 28,975,974 9.456
May 28, 2130 27,445,872 9.920
June 19, 2143 27,077,120 10.252
July 10, 2156 27,708,249 10.128
Aug. 1, 2169 29,045,751 9.626
April 30, 2175 29,502,506 9.458
May 19, 2188 27,793,749 9.726

Images and Observations

2001 BA40's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Jan. 23, 2001. It was last officially observed on March 23, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 504 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 BA40:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.119 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.2537
  • Inclination: 12.85°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 270.87°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 0.06°
  • Mean Anomaly: 284.66°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 0.44700 km
  • Magnitude: 18.82
  • Albedo: 0.292

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 432 days (1.18 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 28.18 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.40 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.84 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 138947 (2001 BA40) 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 BA40 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.