2002 LX64

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2002 LX64

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 19,879,258 km of Earth in 2032
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2002 LX64 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2002 LX64 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2002 LX64 orbits the sun every 577 days (1.58 years), coming as close as 0.58 AU and reaching as far as 2.13 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2002 LX64 is probably between 0.153 to 0.342 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2002 LX64'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 LX64 has 14 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
June 13, 2032 19,879,258 21.151
Nov. 26, 2036 13,927,645 15.289
June 8, 2051 6,149,696 17.386
Nov. 20, 2055 11,847,528 18.991
May 31, 2070 22,025,692 13.316
June 16, 2100 22,107,996 21.632
Nov. 30, 2104 18,465,202 14.210
June 14, 2119 16,239,620 20.414
Nov. 29, 2123 15,716,746 14.826
June 16, 2138 21,512,265 21.509
Dec. 3, 2142 22,068,303 13.399
Dec. 8, 2161 29,894,362 11.849
May 29, 2184 27,374,251 12.228
Nov. 16, 2188 24,030,708 21.969

Images and Observations

2002 LX64's orbit is determined by observations dating back to June 13, 2002. It was last officially observed on June 14, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 106 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 LX64:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.357 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5707
  • Inclination: 4.85°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 285.52°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 230.98°
  • Mean Anomaly: 200.8°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.197 km
  • Magnitude: 21.2

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 577 days (1.58 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 25.59 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.13 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.58 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2002 LX64 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 LX64 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.