2005 GU

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

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

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
  • Will pass within 24,700,754 km of Earth in 2026
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

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

2005 GU orbits the sun every 706 days (1.93 years), coming as close as 0.60 AU and reaching as far as 2.51 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2005 GU is probably between 0.266 to 0.594 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.

Close Approaches

2005 GU's orbit is 0.01 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 GU has 12 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Nov. 2, 2026 24,700,754 27.165
April 20, 2034 6,735,615 21.865
Oct. 17, 2057 22,918,712 19.755
April 27, 2063 27,361,663 18.593
Oct. 26, 2086 8,811,173 23.612
April 16, 2094 7,153,245 23.997
Nov. 1, 2115 18,939,653 25.997
April 20, 2123 3,767,430 22.620
Oct. 15, 2146 29,559,488 18.849
April 24, 2152 18,203,494 20.010
Oct. 22, 2175 14,816,927 21.279
April 12, 2183 24,799,959 27.122

Images and Observations

2005 GU's orbit is determined by observations dating back to April 2, 2003. It was last officially observed on Oct. 31, 2005. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 177 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 GU:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.552 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.6147
  • Inclination: 25.05°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 26.88°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 275.81°
  • Mean Anomaly: 158.73°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.343 km
  • Magnitude: 20.0

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 706 days (1.93 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 23.92 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.51 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.60 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2005 GU 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 GU 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.