Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Amor-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 14,280,114 km of Earth in 2022
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2010 GC35 is a very small asteroid whose orbit approaches the orbit of Earth but does not cross it. NASA JPL has classified 2010 GC35 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.

2010 GC35 orbits the sun every 488 days (1.34 years), coming as close as 1.06 AU and reaching as far as 1.37 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2010 GC35 is probably between 0.020 to 0.091 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2010 GC35's orbit is 0.06 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.

2010 GC35 has 9 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
April 6, 2022 14,280,114 4.795
April 5, 2026 20,749,238 5.260
April 10, 2105 23,299,174 6.182
April 9, 2109 15,756,909 5.340
April 9, 2113 11,983,492 4.978
April 9, 2117 11,341,900 4.914
April 9, 2121 13,442,911 5.118
April 10, 2125 19,020,729 5.689
April 11, 2129 27,950,390 6.768

Images and Observations

2010 GC35's orbit is determined by observations dating back to April 12, 2010. It was last officially observed on June 8, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 77 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

2010 GC35 can be reached with a journey of 362 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 9.246 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 8,654 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2010 GC35.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2010 GC35:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.213 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1275
  • Inclination: 8.5°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 195.22°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 2.78°
  • Mean Anomaly: 22.43°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.056 km
  • Magnitude: 24.66

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 488 days (1.34 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 27.04 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.37 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.06 AU

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2010 GC35 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 2010 GC35 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.