2003 MS2

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2003 MS2

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 11,747,528 km of Earth in 2020
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2003 MS2 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2003 MS2 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2003 MS2 orbits the sun every 389 days (1.07 years), coming as close as 0.91 AU and reaching as far as 1.17 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2003 MS2 is probably between 0.152 to 0.340 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

The rotation of 2003 MS2 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 7.00 hours.

Close Approaches

2003 MS2'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.

2003 MS2 has 22 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
July 5, 2020 11,747,528 10.522
Dec. 27, 2021 22,900,967 12.790
June 21, 2036 27,082,430 13.700
Dec. 31, 2037 19,612,396 10.403
June 28, 2053 10,121,778 11.769
Dec. 29, 2054 10,753,980 10.944
June 30, 2070 4,179,917 11.200
Dec. 28, 2071 11,671,247 11.344
June 29, 2087 8,794,669 11.649
Dec. 28, 2088 10,446,937 10.932
June 23, 2104 25,563,295 13.495
Jan. 2, 2106 20,292,285 10.407
July 6, 2122 10,799,882 10.550
Dec. 29, 2123 20,268,069 12.492
July 3, 2139 3,498,135 10.961
Dec. 28, 2140 14,426,989 11.723
July 4, 2156 6,169,488 10.738
Dec. 29, 2157 18,865,852 12.275
July 13, 2173 27,407,454 10.585
Jan. 2, 2174 21,792,999 10.403
June 29, 2189 10,395,782 11.795
Dec. 30, 2190 10,633,294 11.012

Images and Observations

2003 MS2's orbit is determined by observations dating back to March 7, 2003. It was last officially observed on Jan. 22, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 265 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 MS2:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.042 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1263
  • Inclination: 20.02°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 100.83°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 254.51°
  • Mean Anomaly: 296.57°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.197 km
  • Magnitude: 21.21

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 389 days (1.07 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 29.14 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.17 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.91 AU
  • Rotation Period: 7.00 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2003 MS2 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 MS2 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.