2009 SJ18 is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2009 SJ18 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 SJ18 orbits the sun every 336 days (0.92 years), coming as close as 0.84 AU and reaching as far as 1.05 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2009 SJ18 is probably between 0.021 to 0.094 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.
2009 SJ18's orbit is 0.05 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 SJ18 has 10 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
---|---|---|
Sept. 13, 2020 | 13,975,405 | 7.062 |
Feb. 24, 2021 | 25,534,237 | 8.023 |
March 24, 2032 | 23,236,779 | 8.219 |
April 19, 2043 | 27,015,985 | 7.948 |
Oct. 4, 2043 | 14,993,854 | 7.128 |
Sept. 24, 2054 | 6,832,502 | 6.645 |
Sept. 16, 2065 | 11,252,710 | 6.863 |
Sept. 2, 2076 | 28,885,790 | 8.708 |
Oct. 2, 2088 | 14,095,793 | 7.044 |
Sept. 23, 2099 | 6,746,204 | 6.641 |
2009 SJ18's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 21, 2009. It was last officially observed on Sept. 30, 2009. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 24 observations used to determine its orbit.
2009 SJ18 can be reached with a journey of 370 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 9.336 km/s. To put this into perspective, the delta-v to launch a rocket to Low-Earth Orbit is 9.7 km/s. There are 4,251 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.
See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2009 SJ18.
The position of 2009 SJ18 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.
The below comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 2009 SJ18 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.