162210 (1999 SM5)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 162210 (1999 SM5)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
  • Will pass within 20,529,551 km of Earth in 2041
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

162210 (1999 SM5) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 1999 SM5 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

1999 SM5 orbits the sun every 1,280 days (3.50 years), coming as close as 0.70 AU and reaching as far as 3.90 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 1999 SM5 is probably between 0.367 to 0.820 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.

The rotation of 1999 SM5 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 6.23 hours.

Close Approaches

1999 SM5'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.

1999 SM5 has 9 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
April 30, 2041 20,529,551 16.132
April 18, 2048 14,607,909 20.673
April 22, 2055 13,397,470 19.606
April 22, 2062 13,055,660 19.184
April 13, 2069 24,990,720 23.436
Oct. 5, 2149 20,155,447 22.792
Sept. 14, 2156 23,320,434 15.608
April 29, 2191 16,138,152 17.838
April 18, 2198 22,450,463 22.388

Images and Observations

1999 SM5's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 28, 1999. It was last officially observed on Dec. 11, 2020. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 404 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 1999 SM5:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.304 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.6947
  • Inclination: 5.19°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 327.75°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 319.16°
  • Mean Anomaly: 329.81°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.474 km
  • Magnitude: 19.3

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,280 days (3.50 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 19.58 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.90 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.70 AU
  • Rotation Period: 6.23 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 162210 (1999 SM5) 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 1999 SM5 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.