2004 KB

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2004 KB

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 27,046,628 km of Earth in 2026
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

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

2004 KB orbits the sun every 473 days (1.30 years), coming as close as 0.84 AU and reaching as far as 1.53 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2004 KB is probably between 0.161 to 0.360 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2004 KB'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 KB has 14 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
April 24, 2026 27,046,628 12.133
Nov. 20, 2038 18,800,006 11.838
April 22, 2048 27,293,597 13.298
Nov. 1, 2051 26,585,762 16.746
Nov. 7, 2073 10,951,095 14.546
Nov. 10, 2095 5,931,961 13.889
Nov. 5, 2117 20,048,312 15.789
Nov. 27, 2126 27,577,583 11.484
April 24, 2136 26,093,025 12.831
Nov. 17, 2148 11,844,143 12.279
April 26, 2158 27,352,065 11.909
Nov. 15, 2170 5,844,795 12.826
April 25, 2180 26,942,925 12.037
Nov. 21, 2192 18,281,429 11.841

Images and Observations

2004 KB's orbit is determined by observations dating back to May 16, 2004. It was last officially observed on July 29, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 82 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 KB:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.188 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.2889
  • Inclination: 20.68°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 230.92°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 243.25°
  • Mean Anomaly: 60.35°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.208 km
  • Magnitude: 21.09

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 473 days (1.30 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 27.32 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.53 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.84 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2004 KB 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 KB 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.