Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
  • Will pass within 27,097,778 km of Earth in 2024
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

163679 (2002 XG84) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2002 XG84 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 XG84 orbits the sun every 668 days (1.83 years), coming as close as 0.79 AU and reaching as far as 2.20 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2002 XG84 is probably between 0.365 to 0.817 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 XG84's orbit is 0.07 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 XG84 has 15 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Sept. 5, 2024 27,097,778 10.063
Aug. 2, 2035 13,360,407 12.039
Dec. 27, 2044 23,615,421 16.650
July 19, 2046 29,366,006 17.537
Dec. 11, 2055 13,109,409 11.004
Oct. 31, 2066 28,816,052 10.796
Aug. 10, 2088 17,128,050 10.390
July 24, 2099 21,746,081 15.773
Dec. 18, 2108 10,856,361 12.450
Nov. 14, 2119 25,978,484 10.283
Aug. 26, 2141 23,205,869 9.676
July 29, 2152 15,523,310 14.003
Dec. 23, 2161 13,402,752 13.972
Nov. 27, 2172 21,123,973 9.874
Sept. 5, 2194 26,227,323 9.970

Images and Observations

2002 XG84's orbit is determined by observations dating back to June 18, 2002. It was last officially observed on Feb. 19, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 193 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 XG84:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.495 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4716
  • Inclination: 5.06°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 29.77°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 349.72°
  • Mean Anomaly: 152.8°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.471 km
  • Magnitude: 19.31

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 668 days (1.83 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 24.35 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.20 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.79 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 163679 (2002 XG84) 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 XG84 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.