2001 XP31

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2001 XP31

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 3,836,756 km of Earth in 2028
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2001 XP31 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2001 XP31 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2001 XP31 orbits the sun every 448 days (1.23 years), coming as close as 0.70 AU and reaching as far as 1.59 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2001 XP31 is probably between 0.098 to 0.220 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2001 XP31's orbit is 0.01 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.

2001 XP31 has 18 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Nov. 18, 2028 3,836,756 13.083
May 25, 2038 24,638,175 8.044
Nov. 13, 2044 12,951,978 9.906
May 11, 2054 5,093,749 11.657
May 6, 2070 11,687,605 14.532
Nov. 26, 2071 27,406,766 17.812
Nov. 19, 2087 3,110,893 12.914
Nov. 22, 2103 9,780,740 14.278
May 6, 2118 17,347,750 15.657
Nov. 27, 2119 24,811,854 17.271
May 9, 2134 8,416,866 13.870
May 7, 2150 14,023,115 14.989
Nov. 28, 2151 26,026,468 17.516
May 3, 2166 28,482,461 17.849
Nov. 23, 2167 10,832,429 14.500
Nov. 20, 2183 1,463,967 12.523
May 5, 2198 22,214,534 16.620
Nov. 26, 2199 20,723,703 16.469

Images and Observations

2001 XP31's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Dec. 11, 2001. It was last officially observed on May 3, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 50 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 2001 XP31:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.146 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.3852
  • Inclination: 6.13°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 241.23°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 81.74°
  • Mean Anomaly: 328.03°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.127 km
  • Magnitude: 22.16

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 448 days (1.23 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 27.83 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.59 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.70 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2001 XP31 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 XP31 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.