2008 EA9

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
• Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
• Will pass within 3,878,040 km of Earth in 2019
• Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

2008 EA9 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2008 EA9 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.

2008 EA9 orbits the sun every 392 days (1.07 years), coming as close as 0.97 AU and reaching as far as 1.13 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2008 EA9 is probably between 0.005 to 0.022 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2008 EA9's orbit is 0.00 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.

2008 EA9 has 2 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

NASA Sentry has assessed impact risk for 160 very close approach scenarios. Here are the top scenarios ordered by probability of impact:

Images and Observations

2008 EA9's orbit is determined by observations dating back to March 6, 2008. It was last officially observed on April 3, 2008. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 54 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

2008 EA9 can be reached with a journey of 410 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 4.601 km/s. To put this into perspective, the delta-v to launch a rocket to Low-Earth Orbit is 9.7 km/s. There are 876,805 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2008 EA9.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2008 EA9:

• 4544 Xanthus (1989 FB)
• 68950 (2002 QF15)
• 154652 (2004 EP20)

References

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

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2008 EA9 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.