2002 QQ40

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2002 QQ40

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 28,896,584 km of Earth in 2063
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2002 QQ40 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2002 QQ40 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2002 QQ40 orbits the sun every 489 days (1.34 years), coming as close as 0.53 AU and reaching as far as 1.90 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2002 QQ40 is probably between 0.134 to 0.301 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2002 QQ40'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 QQ40 has 19 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
April 10, 2063 28,896,584 11.671
April 15, 2067 14,287,330 14.605
April 19, 2071 4,375,476 17.293
April 23, 2075 14,165,742 19.958
Sept. 8, 2077 24,115,160 22.007
April 27, 2079 27,237,227 22.628
Sept. 11, 2081 13,865,220 19.872
Sept. 14, 2085 6,188,629 18.176
Sept. 16, 2089 4,888,086 16.784
Sept. 19, 2093 12,781,143 14.896
Sept. 22, 2097 23,782,418 12.682
April 13, 2162 26,117,107 12.215
April 15, 2166 18,993,385 13.620
April 17, 2170 13,651,626 14.714
April 18, 2174 9,024,451 15.705
April 20, 2178 5,893,106 16.487
April 20, 2182 4,688,842 16.914
April 21, 2186 4,424,551 17.126
April 21, 2190 4,360,556 17.306

Images and Observations

2002 QQ40's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Aug. 20, 2002. It was last officially observed on Aug. 7, 2018. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 71 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 QQ40:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.215 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.564
  • Inclination: 1.72°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 104.06°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 356.52°
  • Mean Anomaly: 199.66°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.174 km
  • Magnitude: 21.48

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 489 days (1.34 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 27.03 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.90 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.53 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2002 QQ40 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 QQ40 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.