2008 OX1

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2008 OX1

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 24,344,198 km of Earth in 2020
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2008 OX1 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2008 OX1 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2008 OX1 orbits the sun every 484 days (1.33 years), coming as close as 0.87 AU and reaching as far as 1.54 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2008 OX1 is probably between 0.133 to 0.298 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2008 OX1's orbit is 0.04 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 OX1 has 14 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Feb. 2, 2020 24,344,198 16.982
July 28, 2057 8,681,743 17.777
July 23, 2061 14,953,799 16.039
Feb. 2, 2069 28,100,462 16.000
Feb. 2, 2073 25,456,493 17.594
Aug. 3, 2106 29,605,499 20.365
July 29, 2110 8,733,078 17.789
July 24, 2114 14,100,218 16.093
Feb. 3, 2122 29,230,971 15.904
Feb. 3, 2126 25,002,593 17.317
Aug. 1, 2163 17,006,835 18.783
July 27, 2167 6,727,817 16.750
July 22, 2171 27,073,044 15.394
Feb. 4, 2179 24,745,867 16.920

Images and Observations

2008 OX1's orbit is determined by observations dating back to July 26, 2008. It was last officially observed on Feb. 1, 2020. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 236 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 OX1:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.206 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.2776
  • Inclination: 29.73°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 304.82°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 281.34°
  • Mean Anomaly: 200.49°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.172 km
  • Magnitude: 21.5

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 484 days (1.33 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 27.11 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.54 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.87 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2008 OX1 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 OX1 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.