Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
  • Will pass within 14,547,320 km of Earth in 2032
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

164211 (2004 JA27) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2004 JA27 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2004 JA27 orbits the sun every 786 days (2.15 years), coming as close as 0.96 AU and reaching as far as 2.37 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2004 JA27 is probably between 0.335 to 0.748 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

2004 JA27's orbit is 0.03 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.

2004 JA27 has 9 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
July 11, 2032 14,547,320 10.739
Sept. 23, 2047 6,753,110 7.065
July 8, 2075 20,725,831 12.084
Aug. 23, 2090 9,153,174 6.748
Oct. 18, 2105 15,608,732 10.976
July 31, 2133 5,496,217 7.488
Oct. 18, 2148 14,966,780 10.817
July 5, 2161 28,626,580 13.645
Sept. 18, 2176 7,780,060 6.901

Images and Observations

2004 JA27's orbit is determined by observations dating back to May 15, 2004. It was last officially observed on April 10, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 479 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 2004 JA27:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.666 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4232
  • Inclination: 2.26°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 67.76°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 270.24°
  • Mean Anomaly: 305.6°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.432 km
  • Magnitude: 19.5

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 786 days (2.15 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 23.06 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.37 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.96 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 164211 (2004 JA27) 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 2004 JA27 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.