2002 XQ40

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2002 XQ40

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 8,439,526 km of Earth in 2020
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2002 XQ40 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2002 XQ40 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 XQ40 orbits the sun every 407 days (1.11 years), coming as close as 0.70 AU and reaching as far as 1.45 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2002 XQ40 is probably between 0.089 to 0.199 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2002 XQ40's orbit is 0.01 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.

2002 XQ40 has 21 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
May 25, 2020 8,439,526 9.403
Dec. 10, 2041 6,510,001 9.677
May 18, 2049 17,279,446 14.335
Dec. 17, 2051 13,086,637 13.622
May 24, 2059 2,814,512 10.799
June 2, 2069 24,162,675 6.299
Dec. 5, 2080 24,132,853 6.148
Dec. 13, 2090 2,141,759 11.382
June 1, 2098 20,989,050 6.911
May 18, 2107 26,135,023 16.119
Dec. 18, 2109 15,313,514 14.067
Nov. 17, 2118 29,099,791 6.416
May 24, 2126 4,202,061 11.647
Dec. 9, 2137 17,180,226 7.545
May 25, 2145 2,568,414 11.140
May 18, 2164 22,046,276 15.308
Dec. 18, 2166 14,080,506 13.825
June 3, 2174 21,528,619 6.808
Dec. 13, 2185 2,452,604 10.507
May 21, 2193 14,792,101 13.864
Dec. 19, 2195 14,572,570 13.923

Images and Observations

2002 XQ40's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Dec. 11, 2002. It was last officially observed on March 1, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 206 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 XQ40:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.075 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.3511
  • Inclination: 2.19°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 270.08°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 73.3°
  • Mean Anomaly: 284.76°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.115 km
  • Magnitude: 22.38

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 407 days (1.11 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 28.73 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.45 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.70 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2002 XQ40 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 XQ40 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.