152742 (1998 XE12) is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 1998 XE12 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 XE12 orbits the sun every 301 days (0.82 years), coming as close as 0.23 AU and reaching as far as 1.53 AU from the sun. Its orbit is highly elliptical. 1998 XE12 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.
1998 XE12's orbit is 0.11 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 XE12 has 24 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
---|---|---|
Nov. 19, 2021 | 26,972,144 | 21.371 |
Jan. 28, 2024 | 17,412,504 | 24.948 |
Jan. 25, 2038 | 22,304,850 | 27.012 |
Nov. 24, 2044 | 29,862,828 | 27.783 |
Nov. 22, 2058 | 25,055,438 | 25.741 |
Jan. 29, 2061 | 24,308,904 | 20.783 |
Nov. 21, 2072 | 23,453,556 | 24.318 |
Jan. 30, 2075 | 20,192,379 | 21.867 |
Nov. 20, 2086 | 23,763,100 | 22.991 |
Jan. 29, 2089 | 17,389,109 | 23.166 |
Nov. 20, 2100 | 26,720,354 | 21.413 |
Jan. 29, 2103 | 17,564,334 | 24.913 |
Jan. 27, 2117 | 21,962,440 | 26.842 |
Jan. 26, 2131 | 27,403,795 | 28.472 |
Nov. 25, 2137 | 26,932,991 | 26.704 |
Feb. 1, 2140 | 27,806,816 | 20.100 |
Nov. 24, 2151 | 23,967,835 | 25.089 |
Jan. 31, 2154 | 22,259,617 | 21.313 |
Nov. 22, 2165 | 23,380,736 | 23.281 |
Jan. 31, 2168 | 17,994,076 | 22.893 |
Nov. 22, 2179 | 25,867,559 | 21.700 |
Jan. 29, 2182 | 17,387,400 | 24.539 |
Nov. 21, 2193 | 29,375,796 | 20.592 |
Jan. 29, 2196 | 19,684,606 | 25.923 |
1998 XE12's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 30, 1995. It was last officially observed on Jan. 24, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 485 observations used to determine its orbit.
The position of 152742 (1998 XE12) 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.
The below comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 1998 XE12 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.