Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Will pass within 1,090,782 km of Earth in 2038
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2002 NY40 is a small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2002 NY40 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2002 NY40 orbits the sun every 1,070 days (2.93 years), coming as close as 0.60 AU and reaching as far as 3.50 AU from the sun. Its orbit is highly elliptical. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2002 NY40 is probably between 0.421 to 0.942 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than ~97% of asteroids but small compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge.

The rotation of 2002 NY40 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 19.98 hours.

Close Approaches

2002 NY40's orbit is 0.00 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.

2002 NY40 has 8 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Feb. 11, 2038 1,090,782 20.547
Aug. 15, 2046 10,996,044 22.831
Feb. 17, 2073 14,293,538 23.701
Aug. 14, 2081 10,901,817 23.016
Feb. 22, 2105 21,587,348 25.391
Aug. 12, 2113 18,034,658 24.647
Feb. 17, 2137 5,507,160 22.212
Aug. 13, 2145 15,844,137 24.129

Images and Observations

2002 NY40's orbit is determined by observations dating back to July 12, 2002. It was last officially observed on July 15, 2005. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 1,637 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 NY40:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.05 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.7082
  • Inclination: 5.89°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 145.3°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 269.86°
  • Mean Anomaly: 48.72°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.544 km
  • Magnitude: 19.0

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,070 days (2.93 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 20.84 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.50 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.60 AU
  • Rotation Period: 19.98 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2002 NY40 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 above comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 2002 NY40 to create an approximate landscape rendering with Mount Everest in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.