139622 (2001 QQ142)

Small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 139622 (2001 QQ142)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Will pass within 5,526,961 km of Earth in 2023
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

139622 (2001 QQ142) is a small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2001 QQ142 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2001 QQ142 orbits the sun every 620 days (1.70 years), coming as close as 0.98 AU and reaching as far as 1.87 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2001 QQ142 is probably between 0.347 to 1.552 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.

2001 QQ142's spectral type None (Tholen) / Sq (SMASSII) indicates that it is likely to contain and .

Close Approaches

2001 QQ142's orbit is 0.01 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 QQ142 has 8 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Dec. 6, 2023 5,526,961 6.660
Dec. 17, 2045 4,528,690 7.542
Dec. 5, 2062 6,282,000 6.628
Nov. 30, 2101 9,523,634 6.592
Dec. 13, 2123 2,064,023 6.929
Oct. 31, 2150 24,098,401 8.086
Dec. 31, 2155 20,337,240 9.977
Dec. 9, 2182 4,395,848 6.734

Images and Observations

2001 QQ142's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Aug. 22, 2001. It was last officially observed on Aug. 7, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 534 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

2001 QQ142 can be reached with a journey of 370 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 11.792 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 11 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2001 QQ142.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2001 QQ142:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.423 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.3112
  • Inclination: 9.32°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 83.25°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 337.91°
  • Mean Anomaly: 318.06°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.950 km
  • Magnitude: 18.5
  • Spectral type (SMASS): Sq

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 620 days (1.70 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 24.97 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.87 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.98 AU
  • Approx. Composition: and .

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 139622 (2001 QQ142) 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 2001 QQ142 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.