Key Facts
- Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
- Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
- Will pass within 21,569,517 km of Earth in 2020
- Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
- Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
- See orbit simulation
Overview
2008 EE5 is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2008 EE5 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.
2008 EE5 orbits the sun every 335 days (0.92 years), coming as close as 0.88 AU and reaching as far as 1.01 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2008 EE5 is probably between 0.305 to 0.682 kilometers in diameter, making it small in absolute terms, but larger than 90% of asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building.
Close Approaches
2008 EE5's orbit is 0.02 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that there is an wide berth between this asteroid and Earth at all times.
2008 EE5 has 25 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
| Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
|---|---|---|
| Feb. 14, 2020 | 21,569,517 | 22.983 |
| Aug. 11, 2020 | 21,020,801 | 23.980 |
| Aug. 18, 2031 | 22,199,989 | 23.968 |
| Feb. 8, 2043 | 13,591,969 | 22.581 |
| Feb. 10, 2054 | 3,655,840 | 22.499 |
| Feb. 13, 2065 | 20,977,559 | 22.966 |
| Aug. 11, 2065 | 21,105,481 | 23.976 |
| Aug. 18, 2076 | 22,840,736 | 23.978 |
| Feb. 5, 2077 | 29,761,650 | 23.136 |
| Feb. 9, 2088 | 10,955,310 | 22.527 |
| Feb. 12, 2099 | 8,481,447 | 22.568 |
| Aug. 7, 2099 | 28,384,667 | 24.326 |
| Feb. 16, 2110 | 29,292,765 | 23.382 |
| Aug. 16, 2110 | 19,749,518 | 23.909 |
| Aug. 23, 2121 | 29,269,261 | 24.229 |
| Feb. 8, 2122 | 19,978,621 | 22.753 |
| Feb. 11, 2133 | 3,121,674 | 22.486 |
| Feb. 15, 2144 | 18,445,356 | 22.861 |
| Aug. 11, 2144 | 22,272,230 | 24.029 |
| Aug. 19, 2155 | 21,698,678 | 23.949 |
| Feb. 10, 2167 | 11,431,801 | 22.539 |
| Feb. 13, 2178 | 8,672,590 | 22.579 |
| Aug. 8, 2178 | 28,271,530 | 24.320 |
| Feb. 16, 2189 | 28,791,685 | 23.357 |
| Aug. 15, 2189 | 19,702,122 | 23.906 |
Images and Observations
2008 EE5's orbit is determined by observations dating back to March 4, 2008. It was last officially observed on Feb. 28, 2020. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 198 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 2008 EE5:References
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or view a random objectOrbital Elements
- Epoch: 2459000.5 JD
- Semi-major axis: 0.9448 AU
- Eccentricity: 0.0716
- Inclination: 44.81°
- Longitude of Ascending Node: 321.27°
- Argument of Periapsis: 20.08°
- Mean Anomaly: 265.36°
Physical Characteristics
- Diameter: ~0.394 km
- Magnitude: 19.7
Derived Characteristics
- Orbit Period: 335 days (0.92 years)
- Avg. Orbit Speed: 30.68 km/s
- Aphelion Distance: 1.01 AU
- Perihelion Distance: 0.88 AU
Map Comparison
Orbit Simulation
Sky Map
The position of 2008 EE5 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 above comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 2008 EE5 to create an approximate landscape rendering. The approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.