Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Amor-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Will pass within 26,993,534 km of Earth in 2032
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2000 PP9 is a small asteroid whose orbit approaches the orbit of Earth but does not cross it. NASA JPL has classified 2000 PP9 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2000 PP9 orbits the sun every 1,300 days (3.56 years), coming as close as 1.05 AU and reaching as far as 3.61 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2000 PP9 is probably between 0.402 to 0.900 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.

Close Approaches

2000 PP9'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.

2000 PP9 has 4 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
July 20, 2032 26,993,534 11.576
Sept. 25, 2071 21,061,851 11.221
Sept. 5, 2103 5,696,704 7.917
Sept. 9, 2135 6,097,768 8.145

Images and Observations

2000 PP9's orbit is determined by observations dating back to June 8, 2000. It was last officially observed on May 18, 2014. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 194 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 2000 PP9:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.329 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5507
  • Inclination: 5.6°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 171.69°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 159.62°
  • Mean Anomaly: 178.17°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.519 km
  • Magnitude: 19.1

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,300 days (3.56 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 19.49 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.61 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.05 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2000 PP9 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 2000 PP9 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.