2004 QD3

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
• Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
• Will pass within 20,320,397 km of Earth in 2021
• Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

2004 QD3 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2004 QD3 as a "Near Earth Asteroid" due to its orbit's proximity to Earth, but it is not considered potentially hazardous because computer simulations have not indicated any imminent likelihood of future collision.

2004 QD3 orbits the sun every 649 days (1.78 years), coming as close as 0.90 AU and reaching as far as 2.03 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2004 QD3 is probably between 0.342 to 0.766 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 90% of asteroids but tiny compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building.

The rotation of 2004 QD3 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 13.58 hours.

Close Approaches

2004 QD3's orbit is 0.10 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 QD3 has 6 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Images and Observations

2004 QD3's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Aug. 21, 2004. It was last officially observed on March 22, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 504 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 QD3:

• 433 Eros (A898 PA)
• 1862 Apollo (1932 HA)
• 1864 Daedalus (1971 FA)

References

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

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2004 QD3 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 QD3 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.