2008 EM7

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2008 EM7

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 3,068,026 km of Earth in 2029
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2008 EM7 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2008 EM7 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2008 EM7 orbits the sun every 503 days (1.38 years), coming as close as 0.94 AU and reaching as far as 1.54 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2008 EM7 is probably between 0.153 to 0.342 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2008 EM7'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.

2008 EM7 has 10 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Sept. 10, 2029 3,068,026 18.339
Sept. 19, 2040 29,230,903 17.968
Sept. 6, 2069 10,618,339 18.958
Sept. 14, 2080 13,647,072 17.976
Sept. 1, 2109 29,238,478 20.459
Sept. 10, 2120 3,707,992 18.517
Sept. 16, 2131 14,119,914 17.968
Sept. 3, 2171 25,603,579 20.134
Sept. 9, 2182 6,768,851 18.713
Sept. 13, 2193 6,410,760 18.173

Images and Observations

2008 EM7's orbit is determined by observations dating back to March 6, 2008. It was last officially observed on March 10, 2019. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 87 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 EM7:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.238 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.2433
  • Inclination: 33.13°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 347.77°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 42.75°
  • Mean Anomaly: 206.92°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.197 km
  • Magnitude: 21.2

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 503 days (1.38 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 26.78 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.54 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.94 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2008 EM7 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 2008 EM7 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.