2009 SW19

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2009 SW19

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
  • Will pass within 18,277,864 km of Earth in 2026
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2009 SW19 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2009 SW19 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 SW19 orbits the sun every 518 days (1.42 years), coming as close as 0.85 AU and reaching as far as 1.68 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2009 SW19 is probably between 0.318 to 0.711 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 90% of asteroids but tiny compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building.

Close Approaches

2009 SW19's orbit is 0.10 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 SW19 has 7 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
March 27, 2026 18,277,864 34.418
March 17, 2053 26,059,306 35.936
March 25, 2070 15,106,379 34.727
March 24, 2114 16,018,559 35.064
March 31, 2131 23,640,055 34.292
March 21, 2158 20,725,187 35.541
March 29, 2175 18,069,739 34.525

Images and Observations

2009 SW19's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 23, 2009. It was last officially observed on Jan. 28, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 109 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 SW19:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.263 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.3277
  • Inclination: 62.91°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 184.03°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 38.44°
  • Mean Anomaly: 55.65°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.411 km
  • Magnitude: 19.61

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 518 days (1.42 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 26.53 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.68 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.85 AU

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

⧉

Sky Map

The position of 2009 SW19 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 SW19 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.