2007 GU4

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

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Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2007 GU4

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 18,869,773 km of Earth in 2022
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2007 GU4 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2007 GU4 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.

2007 GU4 orbits the sun every 482 days (1.32 years), coming as close as 0.65 AU and reaching as far as 1.75 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2007 GU4 is probably between 0.078 to 0.175 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2007 GU4'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.

2007 GU4 has 21 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Sept. 30, 2022 18,869,773 9.771
Sept. 16, 2026 20,919,161 17.561
April 5, 2036 11,809,899 15.656
March 17, 2040 26,287,185 8.525
Sept. 26, 2055 8,758,541 11.821
Sept. 13, 2059 29,892,922 19.342
April 2, 2069 4,421,307 13.595
Sept. 23, 2088 3,633,103 13.023
Sept. 13, 2092 29,684,815 19.303
April 10, 2102 20,197,007 17.364
March 29, 2106 11,897,979 11.269
Oct. 12, 2121 29,299,758 7.963
Sept. 22, 2125 6,657,178 14.658
April 12, 2135 27,233,888 18.788
March 29, 2139 12,882,814 11.076
Sept. 29, 2154 13,944,100 10.791
Sept. 17, 2158 23,036,724 17.988
April 8, 2168 15,643,356 16.434
March 24, 2172 20,590,363 9.510
Sept. 30, 2187 15,117,437 10.544
Sept. 17, 2191 25,032,477 18.374

Images and Observations

2007 GU4's orbit is determined by observations dating back to April 14, 2007. It was last officially observed on Sept. 22, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 94 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 2007 GU4:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.203 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4566
  • Inclination: 3.16°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 160.82°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 295.44°
  • Mean Anomaly: 215.33°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.101 km
  • Magnitude: 22.65

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 482 days (1.32 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 27.15 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.75 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.65 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2007 GU4 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 2007 GU4 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.