2009 EG3

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2009 EG3

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 20,100,502 km of Earth in 2023
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2009 EG3 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2009 EG3 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.

2009 EG3 orbits the sun every 575 days (1.57 years), coming as close as 0.62 AU and reaching as far as 2.09 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2009 EG3 is probably between 0.145 to 0.325 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2009 EG3's orbit is 0.09 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.

2009 EG3 has 4 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Oct. 1, 2023 20,100,502 19.749
Oct. 10, 2034 24,082,017 22.969
March 21, 2039 25,106,109 24.011
March 26, 2050 13,389,282 20.686

Images and Observations

2009 EG3's orbit is determined by observations dating back to March 15, 2009. It was last officially observed on April 18, 2009. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 25 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 2009 EG3:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.354 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5427
  • Inclination: 22.56°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 175.36°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 109.74°
  • Mean Anomaly: 17.21°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.188 km
  • Magnitude: 21.31

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 575 days (1.57 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 25.62 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.09 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.62 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2009 EG3 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 2009 EG3 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.