2001 GP2 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2001 GP2 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.
2001 GP2 orbits the sun every 385 days (1.05 years), coming as close as 0.96 AU and reaching as far as 1.11 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2001 GP2 is probably between 0.009 to 0.041 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.
2001 GP2's orbit is 0.00 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.
2001 GP2 has 17 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
| Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
|---|---|---|
| May 3, 2019 | 27,159,449 | 7.857 |
| Feb. 28, 2020 | 17,447,356 | 2.747 |
| Sept. 19, 2020 | 5,061,983 | 1.808 |
| April 30, 2039 | 22,670,850 | 6.967 |
| Feb. 22, 2040 | 17,227,082 | 2.734 |
| Sept. 14, 2040 | 5,716,352 | 1.795 |
| May 15, 2061 | 5,195,718 | 1.721 |
| Dec. 19, 2061 | 17,632,773 | 2.782 |
| Oct. 9, 2062 | 21,937,033 | 6.897 |
| June 15, 2081 | 7,798,048 | 1.957 |
| Dec. 4, 2081 | 16,478,020 | 2.563 |
| Oct. 9, 2082 | 28,697,660 | 8.214 |
| April 29, 2100 | 7,190,980 | 3.950 |
| Jan. 16, 2101 | 18,767,801 | 2.992 |
| Oct. 5, 2101 | 7,725,253 | 4.100 |
| April 29, 2139 | 12,289,845 | 4.944 |
| Oct. 2, 2140 | 3,991,931 | 3.371 |
2001 GP2's orbit is determined by observations dating back to April 13, 2001. It was last officially observed on Nov. 16, 2020. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 63 observations used to determine its orbit.
2001 GP2 can be reached with a journey of 394 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 4.392 km/s. To put this into perspective, the delta-v to launch a rocket to Low-Earth Orbit is 9.7 km/s. There are 1,412,591 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.
See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2001 GP2.
The position of 2001 GP2 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.