2005 XY4

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2005 XY4

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 8,579,110 km of Earth in 2026
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2005 XY4 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2005 XY4 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.

2005 XY4 orbits the sun every 397 days (1.09 years), coming as close as 0.42 AU and reaching as far as 1.69 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2005 XY4 is probably between 0.053 to 0.119 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2005 XY4'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 XY4 has 10 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
March 26, 2026 8,579,110 17.851
Nov. 26, 2030 27,434,073 14.364
Dec. 1, 2043 6,604,349 20.401
March 24, 2051 6,356,266 20.740
March 28, 2064 17,161,235 16.183
Nov. 26, 2068 22,358,602 15.262
Nov. 29, 2081 6,204,225 18.728
March 18, 2089 25,665,448 24.762
Dec. 4, 2094 14,762,334 22.342
March 26, 2102 2,126,134 19.690

Images and Observations

2005 XY4's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Dec. 6, 2005. It was last officially observed on Dec. 31, 2005. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 20 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 XY4:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.056 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5983
  • Inclination: 1.91°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 163.06°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 143.45°
  • Mean Anomaly: 187.54°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.068 km
  • Magnitude: 23.5

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 397 days (1.09 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 28.94 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.69 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.42 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2005 XY4 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 XY4 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.