Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 28,171,118 km of Earth in 2049
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2009 HV2 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2009 HV2 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2009 HV2 orbits the sun every 768 days (2.10 years), coming as close as 0.82 AU and reaching as far as 2.46 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2009 HV2 is probably between 0.146 to 0.327 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2009 HV2's orbit is 0.03 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 HV2 has 10 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
May 2, 2049 28,171,118 18.713
May 10, 2070 11,032,454 15.216
Sept. 2, 2072 24,892,235 9.723
May 9, 2091 13,237,988 15.704
Aug. 27, 2093 27,304,973 9.845
Oct. 9, 2137 25,409,483 17.899
June 7, 2156 22,813,603 9.915
Oct. 4, 2158 12,824,811 15.008
June 7, 2177 22,243,346 9.906
Oct. 4, 2179 12,476,109 14.944

Images and Observations

2009 HV2's orbit is determined by observations dating back to April 19, 2009. It was last officially observed on Nov. 17, 2011. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 119 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 HV2:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.641 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.499
  • Inclination: 6.73°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 37.97°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 261.04°
  • Mean Anomaly: 268.27°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.189 km
  • Magnitude: 21.3

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 768 days (2.10 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 23.25 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.46 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.82 AU

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2009 HV2 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 HV2 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.