Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 13,092,948 km of Earth in 2020
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2002 RS129 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2002 RS129 as a "Near Earth Asteroid" due to its orbit's proximity to Earth, but it is not considered potentially hazardous because computer simulations have not indicated any imminent likelihood of future collision.

2002 RS129 orbits the sun every 382 days (1.05 years), coming as close as 0.69 AU and reaching as far as 1.37 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2002 RS129 is probably between 0.071 to 0.159 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2002 RS129's orbit is 0.02 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 RS129 has 25 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Jan. 27, 2020 13,092,948 12.293
Aug. 24, 2024 18,578,350 7.950
Sept. 1, 2025 24,283,755 15.661
Jan. 20, 2042 27,499,009 15.927
Feb. 10, 2043 21,650,874 8.022
Aug. 28, 2047 6,050,992 12.130
Jan. 22, 2064 26,099,507 15.624
Feb. 13, 2065 23,860,554 7.793
Aug. 29, 2069 12,895,723 13.455
Jan. 25, 2086 17,074,472 13.533
Aug. 25, 2090 19,289,828 7.852
Sept. 2, 2091 24,767,780 15.742
Jan. 29, 2108 12,426,255 12.147
Aug. 25, 2112 14,007,901 8.677
Sept. 4, 2113 29,386,575 16.644
Jan. 27, 2130 14,516,939 12.865
Aug. 26, 2134 20,902,818 7.622
Sept. 2, 2135 21,862,361 15.182
Jan. 23, 2152 27,166,335 15.879
Feb. 11, 2153 21,704,888 7.999
Aug. 29, 2157 8,123,198 12.539
Jan. 23, 2174 25,757,967 15.594
Feb. 15, 2175 23,640,826 7.774
Aug. 31, 2179 12,720,220 13.432
Jan. 27, 2196 17,890,814 13.813

Images and Observations

2002 RS129's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Aug. 26, 2002. It was last officially observed on Jan. 18, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 68 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 RS129:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.031 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.3291
  • Inclination: 8.45°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 338.86°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 247.13°
  • Mean Anomaly: 107.95°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.092 km
  • Magnitude: 22.86

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 382 days (1.05 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 29.36 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.37 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.69 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2002 RS129 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 RS129 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.