164400 (2005 GN59)

Mid-sized Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 164400 (2005 GN59)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Pentagon
  • Will pass within 15,900,665 km of Earth in 2025
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

164400 (2005 GN59) is a mid-sized asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2005 GN59 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2005 GN59 orbits the sun every 779 days (2.13 years), coming as close as 0.88 AU and reaching as far as 2.43 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2005 GN59 is probably between 0.888 to 1.986 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the U.S. Pentagon.

The rotation of 2005 GN59 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 38.69 hours.

Close Approaches

2005 GN59'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.

2005 GN59 has 10 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Dec. 27, 2025 15,900,665 9.195
Sept. 25, 2040 18,935,299 13.573
Nov. 20, 2057 16,726,005 9.037
Jan. 20, 2075 23,304,153 13.252
Oct. 15, 2089 8,361,440 9.630
Jan. 11, 2107 16,409,072 10.624
Oct. 12, 2121 7,239,325 10.006
Jan. 14, 2139 17,382,304 11.155
Oct. 22, 2153 9,991,191 9.242
Dec. 6, 2185 17,529,538 8.990

Images and Observations

2005 GN59's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Aug. 24, 1978. It was last officially observed on Aug. 5, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 856 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 2005 GN59:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.657 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.468
  • Inclination: 6.63°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 218.97°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 203.02°
  • Mean Anomaly: 344.84°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~1.147 km
  • Magnitude: 17.38

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 779 days (2.13 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 23.14 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.43 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.88 AU
  • Rotation Period: 38.69 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 164400 (2005 GN59) 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 2005 GN59 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.