154269 (2002 SM)

Small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 154269 (2002 SM)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Will pass within 8,412,095 km of Earth in 2030
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

154269 (2002 SM) is a small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2002 SM as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2002 SM orbits the sun every 936 days (2.56 years), coming as close as 0.96 AU and reaching as far as 2.78 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2002 SM is probably between 0.702 to 1.571 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

2002 SM's orbit is 0.02 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.

2002 SM has 6 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
April 10, 2030 8,412,095 11.149
May 1, 2071 24,112,534 10.242
March 26, 2089 16,146,420 14.428
April 3, 2130 4,978,449 12.537
May 3, 2153 24,734,784 10.158
April 1, 2194 8,339,439 13.080

Images and Observations

2002 SM's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 13, 2002. It was last officially observed on Nov. 25, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 291 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 2002 SM:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.873 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.486
  • Inclination: 14.42°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 10.88°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 217.3°
  • Mean Anomaly: 146.38°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.907 km
  • Magnitude: 17.89

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 936 days (2.56 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 21.77 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.78 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.96 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 154269 (2002 SM) 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 2002 SM 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.