159677 (2002 HQ11)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 159677 (2002 HQ11)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
  • Will pass within 15,468,763 km of Earth in 2054
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

159677 (2002 HQ11) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2002 HQ11 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.

2002 HQ11 orbits the sun every 920 days (2.52 years), coming as close as 0.75 AU and reaching as far as 2.95 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2002 HQ11 is probably between 0.342 to 0.766 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 90% of asteroids but tiny compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building.

Close Approaches

2002 HQ11's orbit is 0.06 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 HQ11 has 8 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Nov. 10, 2054 15,468,763 14.369
March 2, 2070 23,621,927 12.026
March 30, 2075 11,721,321 16.762
Nov. 16, 2122 17,547,027 13.360
March 17, 2138 15,440,753 12.990
April 6, 2143 22,813,365 19.319
Nov. 4, 2185 21,113,345 17.944
Nov. 28, 2190 24,203,465 11.734

Images and Observations

2002 HQ11's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 12, 2001. It was last officially observed on April 25, 2012. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 151 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 HQ11:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.851 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.595
  • Inclination: 6.06°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 153.18°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 322.39°
  • Mean Anomaly: 207.91°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.442 km
  • Magnitude: 19.45

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 920 days (2.52 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 21.89 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.95 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.75 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 159677 (2002 HQ11) 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 below comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 2002 HQ11 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.