162058 (1997 AE12)

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Amor-class Asteroid
• Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge (0.85 km diameter)
• Will pass within 26,813,686 km of Earth in 2054
• Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

162058 (1997 AE12) is a small asteroid whose orbit approaches the orbit of Earth but does not cross it. NASA JPL has classified 1997 AE12 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.

1997 AE12 orbits the sun every 1,330 days (3.64 years), coming as close as 1.05 AU and reaching as far as 3.68 AU from the sun. 1997 AE12 is about 0.8 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than ~97% of asteroids but small compared to large asteroids, comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge.

The rotation of 1997 AE12 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 1880.00 hours.

Close Approaches

1997 AE12's orbit is 0.09 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.

1997 AE12 has 4 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Images and Observations

1997 AE12's orbit is determined by observations dating back to July 28, 1992. It was last officially observed on Feb. 10, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 782 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 1997 AE12:

• 4 Vesta (A807 FA)
• 30 Urania (A854 OA)
• 51 Nemausa (A858 BA)

References

• JPL Small Body Database
• Mission Design
• Sky Finder Chart

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 162058 (1997 AE12) 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 1997 AE12 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.