Key Facts
- Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
- Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
- Will pass within 25,641,716 km of Earth in 2025
- Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
- Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
- See orbit simulation
Overview
2001 UP is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2001 UP 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 UP orbits the sun every 303 days (0.83 years), coming as close as 0.63 AU and reaching as far as 1.14 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2001 UP is probably between 0.013 to 0.056 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.
Close Approaches
2001 UP's orbit is 0.01 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.
2001 UP has 27 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
| Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
|---|---|---|
| July 14, 2025 | 25,641,716 | 10.791 |
| July 13, 2030 | 20,365,549 | 7.924 |
| July 29, 2035 | 23,319,147 | 5.866 |
| Aug. 24, 2040 | 25,253,190 | 6.376 |
| Sept. 14, 2045 | 23,192,631 | 6.570 |
| Oct. 7, 2050 | 15,983,528 | 6.479 |
| Oct. 19, 2055 | 5,698,968 | 7.390 |
| Oct. 21, 2060 | 2,104,825 | 8.624 |
| Oct. 18, 2065 | 26,463,912 | 13.389 |
| July 13, 2074 | 20,955,208 | 8.736 |
| Aug. 8, 2079 | 24,062,472 | 6.032 |
| Sept. 17, 2084 | 22,238,482 | 6.542 |
| Oct. 18, 2089 | 7,561,150 | 7.111 |
| Oct. 21, 2094 | 9,971,192 | 10.102 |
| July 14, 2108 | 20,306,442 | 8.100 |
| Aug. 10, 2113 | 24,219,946 | 6.095 |
| Sept. 15, 2118 | 23,059,436 | 6.578 |
| Oct. 15, 2123 | 11,117,614 | 6.735 |
| Oct. 22, 2128 | 6,623,511 | 9.466 |
| July 15, 2142 | 20,150,762 | 7.565 |
| Aug. 22, 2147 | 24,808,098 | 6.349 |
| Sept. 27, 2152 | 19,845,355 | 6.531 |
| Oct. 21, 2157 | 2,863,590 | 7.854 |
| Oct. 22, 2162 | 12,626,666 | 10.599 |
| Oct. 19, 2167 | 29,642,456 | 14.005 |
| July 15, 2176 | 24,341,189 | 10.392 |
| July 16, 2181 | 20,428,884 | 6.818 |
Images and Observations
2001 UP's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 16, 2001. It was last officially observed on Oct. 20, 2001. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 42 observations used to determine its orbit.
Accessibility and Exploration
2001 UP can be reached with a journey of 378 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 10.32 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 10,209 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.
See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2001 UP.
Similar Objects
These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2001 UP:References
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or view a random objectOrbital Elements
- Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
- Semi-major axis: 0.8837 AU
- Eccentricity: 0.2873
- Inclination: 7.69°
- Longitude of Ascending Node: 25.43°
- Argument of Periapsis: 133.46°
- Mean Anomaly: 21.83°
Physical Characteristics
- Diameter: ~0.035 km
- Magnitude: 25.7
Derived Characteristics
- Orbit Period: 303 days (0.83 years)
- Avg. Orbit Speed: 31.73 km/s
- Aphelion Distance: 1.14 AU
- Perihelion Distance: 0.63 AU
Map Comparison
Orbit Simulation
Sky Map
The position of 2001 UP 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 2001 UP 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.
