2009 KE3

Small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2009 KE3

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Will pass within 18,207,995 km of Earth in 2022
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2009 KE3 is a small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2009 KE3 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2009 KE3 orbits the sun every 1,590 days (4.35 years), coming as close as 0.79 AU and reaching as far as 4.55 AU from the sun. Its orbit is highly elliptical. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2009 KE3 is probably between 0.579 to 1.294 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than ~97% of asteroids but small compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge.

Close Approaches

2009 KE3'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 KE3 has 11 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
June 30, 2022 18,207,995 14.820
Oct. 21, 2035 7,456,637 15.613
Nov. 10, 2061 25,835,475 22.690
Nov. 5, 2074 17,215,888 20.351
Nov. 11, 2087 28,514,208 22.854
Nov. 14, 2100 28,501,491 23.384
July 5, 2126 22,367,697 14.709
Oct. 11, 2156 27,804,812 14.840
June 21, 2169 18,656,966 18.195
Nov. 15, 2186 29,167,795 23.361
June 23, 2199 20,083,861 17.339

Images and Observations

2009 KE3's orbit is determined by observations dating back to May 23, 2009. It was last officially observed on Nov. 26, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 120 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 KE3:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.669 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.7029
  • Inclination: 5.86°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 13.75°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 319.95°
  • Mean Anomaly: 90.81°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.747 km
  • Magnitude: 18.31

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,590 days (4.35 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 18.26 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 4.55 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.79 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2009 KE3 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 above comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 2009 KE3 to create an approximate landscape rendering with Mount Everest in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.