Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a basketball court
  • Will pass within 3,015,485 km of Earth in 2103
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2004 FY31 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2004 FY31 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2004 FY31 orbits the sun every 1,170 days (3.20 years), coming as close as 0.96 AU and reaching as far as 3.37 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2004 FY31 is probably between 0.107 to 0.240 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a basketball court.

Close Approaches

2004 FY31'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.

2004 FY31 has 1 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
April 14, 2103 3,015,485 11.294

Images and Observations

2004 FY31's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Feb. 17, 2004. It was last officially observed on April 14, 2004. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 57 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 FY31:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.168 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5561
  • Inclination: 11.2°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 28.76°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 197.41°
  • Mean Anomaly: 24.86°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.139 km
  • Magnitude: 21.97

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,170 days (3.20 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 20.16 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.37 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.96 AU

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2004 FY31 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 2004 FY31 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.