Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
  • Will pass within 16,572,591 km of Earth in 2072
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2002 EV11 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2002 EV11 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2002 EV11 orbits the sun every 1,110 days (3.04 years), coming as close as 0.23 AU and reaching as far as 3.97 AU from the sun. Its orbit is highly elliptical. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2002 EV11 is probably between 0.266 to 0.594 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 90% of asteroids but tiny compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building.

Close Approaches

2002 EV11's orbit is 0.04 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.

2002 EV11 has 5 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
March 7, 2072 16,572,591 29.569
March 20, 2075 26,374,242 37.785
June 23, 2114 28,685,699 34.061
March 10, 2154 12,248,047 30.233
July 1, 2187 28,905,307 30.163

Images and Observations

2002 EV11's orbit is determined by observations dating back to March 13, 2002. It was last officially observed on April 20, 2014. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 87 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 2002 EV11:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.099 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.8898
  • Inclination: 11.61°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 183.63°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 218.06°
  • Mean Anomaly: 46.71°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.343 km
  • Magnitude: 20.0

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,110 days (3.04 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 20.57 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.97 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.23 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2002 EV11 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 2002 EV11 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.