155140 (2005 UD)

Mid-sized Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 155140 (2005 UD)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Will pass within 13,707,390 km of Earth in 2041
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

155140 (2005 UD) is a mid-sized asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2005 UD 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.

2005 UD orbits the sun every 526 days (1.44 years), coming as close as 0.16 AU and reaching as far as 2.39 AU from the sun. Its orbit is highly elliptical. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2005 UD is probably between 0.848 to 1.897 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge.

The rotation of 2005 UD has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 5.24 hours.

Close Approaches

2005 UD's orbit is 0.08 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.

2005 UD has 8 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Oct. 3, 2041 13,707,390 31.954
Oct. 8, 2064 16,948,645 35.994
Sept. 30, 2077 25,971,755 29.137
Oct. 6, 2100 10,400,068 33.525
Oct. 13, 2123 25,520,019 38.187
Oct. 3, 2136 18,140,423 30.629
Oct. 9, 2159 12,493,867 35.057
Oct. 6, 2195 10,136,723 32.582

Images and Observations

2005 UD's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 6, 1982. It was last officially observed on Oct. 31, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 878 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 2005 UD:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.275 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.8725
  • Inclination: 28.66°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 19.71°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 207.6°
  • Mean Anomaly: 192.51°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~1.095 km
  • Magnitude: 17.48

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 526 days (1.44 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 26.37 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.39 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.16 AU
  • Rotation Period: 5.24 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 155140 (2005 UD) 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 2005 UD 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.