2002 FQ5

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2002 FQ5

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 13,687,339 km of Earth in 2039
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2002 FQ5 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2002 FQ5 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2002 FQ5 orbits the sun every 968 days (2.65 years), coming as close as 0.79 AU and reaching as far as 3.04 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2002 FQ5 is probably between 0.198 to 0.443 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2002 FQ5's orbit is 0.03 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 FQ5 has 11 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Sept. 3, 2039 13,687,339 13.932
May 13, 2055 26,085,043 11.738
April 12, 2063 21,575,397 19.747
Sept. 1, 2092 15,494,658 13.415
May 2, 2108 17,020,333 12.870
April 9, 2116 29,498,722 21.380
Sept. 20, 2137 27,714,075 20.821
Aug. 31, 2145 17,559,054 12.914
May 3, 2161 17,843,300 12.703
April 12, 2169 26,193,650 20.672
Sept. 9, 2198 9,025,534 15.305

Images and Observations

2002 FQ5's orbit is determined by observations dating back to March 14, 2002. It was last officially observed on April 10, 2010. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 77 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 FQ5:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.915 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.588
  • Inclination: 7.56°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 196.18°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 80.77°
  • Mean Anomaly: 6.57°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.256 km
  • Magnitude: 20.64

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 968 days (2.65 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 21.52 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.04 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.79 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2002 FQ5 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 FQ5 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.