2008 GA4

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2008 GA4

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
  • Will pass within 28,239,309 km of Earth in 2026
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2008 GA4 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2008 GA4 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 GA4 orbits the sun every 860 days (2.35 years), coming as close as 0.58 AU and reaching as far as 2.96 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2008 GA4 is probably between 0.362 to 0.809 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 90% of asteroids but tiny compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building.

Close Approaches

2008 GA4's orbit is 0.11 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 GA4 has 8 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Sept. 6, 2026 28,239,309 24.242
March 15, 2055 16,614,059 19.145
Sept. 21, 2066 21,431,813 17.017
March 8, 2088 22,403,286 16.562
Sept. 17, 2099 16,789,421 18.965
March 20, 2121 18,653,558 21.401
March 14, 2147 17,799,777 18.021
March 16, 2173 16,172,903 19.441

Images and Observations

2008 GA4's orbit is determined by observations dating back to April 8, 2008. It was last officially observed on April 27, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 206 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 GA4:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.77 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.6696
  • Inclination: 6.32°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 83.04°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 0.71°
  • Mean Anomaly: 243.95°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.467 km
  • Magnitude: 19.33

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 860 days (2.35 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 22.39 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.96 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.58 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2008 GA4 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 GA4 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.