2004 BU122

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Outer Main-belt Asteroid
• Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
• Not a Near Earth Object
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

2004 BU122 is a small asteroid that orbits between Mars and Jupiter in the outer reaches of the main asteroid belt. NASA JPL has not classified 2004 BU122 as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

2004 BU122 orbits the sun every 3,100 days (8.49 years), coming as close as 2.63 AU and reaching as far as 5.70 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2004 BU122 is probably between 0.500 to 1.117 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than ~97% of asteroids but small compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge.

No Close Approaches

2004 BU122's orbit is 1.64 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that there is an extremely wide berth between this asteroid and Earth at all times.

Orbital simulations conducted by NASA JPL's CNEOS do not show any close approaches to Earth.

Images and Observations

2004 BU122's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Jan. 21, 2004. It was last officially observed on Jan. 30, 2004. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 13 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 2004 BU122:

• 2010 ES189
• 2014 QV189
• 2014 QV343

References

• JPL Small Body Database
• Mission Design
• Sky Finder Chart

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2004 BU122 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 above comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 2004 BU122 to create an approximate landscape rendering with Mount Everest in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.