153349 (2001 PJ9)

Small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 153349 (2001 PJ9)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Will pass within 13,300,008 km of Earth in 2047
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

153349 (2001 PJ9) is a small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2001 PJ9 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 PJ9 orbits the sun every 882 days (2.41 years), coming as close as 0.65 AU and reaching as far as 2.95 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2001 PJ9 is probably between 0.497 to 1.112 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.

Close Approaches

2001 PJ9'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.

2001 PJ9 has 8 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Jan. 29, 2047 13,300,008 19.811
Jan. 22, 2076 29,366,084 24.350
July 25, 2083 11,732,505 20.806
July 8, 2112 26,558,218 15.041
Feb. 1, 2117 14,160,829 18.518
Aug. 2, 2124 28,156,817 24.366
July 19, 2153 12,988,784 17.721
July 18, 2182 14,457,031 17.244

Images and Observations

2001 PJ9's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Aug. 5, 2001. It was last officially observed on Nov. 23, 2019. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 410 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 PJ9:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.799 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.6392
  • Inclination: 10.54°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 283.79°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 291.2°
  • Mean Anomaly: 94.46°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.642 km
  • Magnitude: 18.64

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 882 days (2.41 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 22.19 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.95 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.65 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 153349 (2001 PJ9) 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 PJ9 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.