163249 (2002 GT)

Small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 163249 (2002 GT)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Will pass within 22,374,609 km of Earth in 2027
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

163249 (2002 GT) is a small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2002 GT as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2002 GT orbits the sun every 569 days (1.56 years), coming as close as 0.89 AU and reaching as far as 1.79 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2002 GT is probably between 0.481 to 1.077 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than ~97% of asteroids but small compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge.

The rotation of 2002 GT has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 3.77 hours.

Close Approaches

2002 GT's orbit is 0.02 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 GT has 15 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Aug. 16, 2027 22,374,609 7.336
Oct. 7, 2041 11,157,230 7.512
Oct. 25, 2055 5,026,607 9.834
June 30, 2066 18,002,295 8.157
Sept. 23, 2080 16,588,411 7.356
Nov. 2, 2094 18,832,694 12.488
July 25, 2105 21,270,415 6.847
Oct. 17, 2119 6,768,095 8.043
June 17, 2130 29,456,178 13.055
Nov. 4, 2133 19,878,288 12.710
July 4, 2144 18,480,442 7.594
Sept. 6, 2158 20,690,047 7.512
Oct. 22, 2172 3,113,546 8.794
Oct. 30, 2186 9,686,158 10.709
June 24, 2197 19,945,386 10.140

Images and Observations

2002 GT's orbit is determined by observations dating back to April 3, 2002. It was last officially observed on Feb. 10, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 1,548 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 GT:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.344 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.3348
  • Inclination: 6.97°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 201.74°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 135.14°
  • Mean Anomaly: 166.98°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.622 km
  • Magnitude: 18.71

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 569 days (1.56 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 25.70 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.79 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.89 AU
  • Rotation Period: 3.77 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 163249 (2002 GT) 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 2002 GT 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.