2005 GJ8

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2005 GJ8

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 17,094,759 km of Earth in 2037
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2005 GJ8 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2005 GJ8 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2005 GJ8 orbits the sun every 858 days (2.35 years), coming as close as 0.79 AU and reaching as far as 2.74 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2005 GJ8 is probably between 0.207 to 0.463 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2005 GJ8's orbit is 0.03 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.

2005 GJ8 has 14 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Oct. 28, 2037 17,094,759 16.734
Nov. 23, 2044 17,267,477 10.632
Jan. 10, 2052 29,059,858 11.545
Feb. 25, 2059 18,393,885 10.552
March 21, 2066 16,833,408 16.282
Oct. 24, 2098 27,127,811 18.870
Nov. 11, 2105 6,637,828 12.475
Dec. 30, 2112 28,639,905 11.508
Feb. 21, 2120 21,198,686 10.434
March 23, 2127 16,348,596 16.303
Nov. 6, 2159 5,662,454 14.255
Dec. 9, 2166 23,139,500 10.669
Jan. 24, 2174 28,462,664 11.338
March 12, 2181 9,600,250 12.444

Images and Observations

2005 GJ8's orbit is determined by observations dating back to April 3, 2005. It was last officially observed on May 5, 2019. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 79 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 2005 GJ8:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.767 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5512
  • Inclination: 3.39°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 252.6°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 214.78°
  • Mean Anomaly: 334.73°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.268 km
  • Magnitude: 20.54

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 858 days (2.35 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 22.40 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.74 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.79 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2005 GJ8 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 2005 GJ8 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.