2003 AF23

Very small Aten-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Aten-class Asteroids » 2003 AF23

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 6,992,709 km of Earth in 2021
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2003 AF23 is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2003 AF23 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2003 AF23 orbits the sun every 299 days (0.82 years), coming as close as 0.50 AU and reaching as far as 1.25 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2003 AF23 is probably between 0.167 to 0.373 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

The rotation of 2003 AF23 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 19.89 hours.

Close Approaches

2003 AF23'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.

2003 AF23 has 17 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Jan. 3, 2021 6,992,709 15.784
Jan. 4, 2030 10,448,279 15.250
Jan. 5, 2039 16,457,993 14.529
Jan. 6, 2048 23,332,651 13.916
Jan. 7, 2079 21,100,235 19.917
Jan. 6, 2088 13,214,821 18.471
Jan. 4, 2097 7,618,587 17.413
Jan. 5, 2106 5,732,924 17.003
Jan. 5, 2115 5,647,064 16.984
Jan. 6, 2124 6,697,765 17.234
Jan. 6, 2133 10,539,639 18.000
Jan. 7, 2142 17,747,822 19.314
Jan. 9, 2151 27,808,715 21.169
Jan. 9, 2165 29,701,425 13.556
Jan. 6, 2174 17,917,280 14.391
Jan. 5, 2183 7,053,507 15.761
Jan. 6, 2192 5,810,110 17.076

Images and Observations

2003 AF23's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Jan. 8, 2003. It was last officially observed on Feb. 23, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 494 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 2003 AF23:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 0.8744 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4259
  • Inclination: 23.23°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 286.75°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 43.95°
  • Mean Anomaly: 193.93°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.216 km
  • Magnitude: 21.01

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 299 days (0.82 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 31.81 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.25 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.50 AU
  • Rotation Period: 19.89 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2003 AF23 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 2003 AF23 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.