163067 (2002 AP3)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 163067 (2002 AP3)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
  • Will pass within 17,132,133 km of Earth in 2037
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

163067 (2002 AP3) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2002 AP3 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2002 AP3 orbits the sun every 1,070 days (2.93 years), coming as close as 0.84 AU and reaching as far as 3.25 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2002 AP3 is probably between 0.267 to 0.597 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 AP3's orbit is 0.01 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 AP3 has 9 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
June 22, 2037 17,132,133 16.986
April 16, 2040 27,825,265 11.181
Feb. 9, 2043 28,716,918 17.876
June 17, 2087 10,091,643 15.071
April 30, 2090 23,848,854 10.641
Feb. 23, 2093 19,188,679 13.051
June 16, 2152 6,864,661 14.367
May 13, 2155 20,695,504 10.675
March 7, 2158 20,679,154 11.501

Images and Observations

2002 AP3's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Jan. 6, 2002. It was last officially observed on Jan. 18, 2005. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 65 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 AP3:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.044 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5878
  • Inclination: 7.6°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 87.39°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 117.71°
  • Mean Anomaly: 120.1°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.345 km
  • Magnitude: 19.99

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,070 days (2.93 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 20.78 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.25 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.84 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 163067 (2002 AP3) 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 AP3 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.