2011 CL50 is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2011 CL50 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.
2011 CL50 orbits the sun every 303 days (0.83 years), coming as close as 0.75 AU and reaching as far as 1.01 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2011 CL50 is probably between 0.006 to 0.027 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.
2011 CL50's orbit is 0.00 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.
2011 CL50 has 17 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
| Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
|---|---|---|
| Dec. 28, 2020 | 2,165,227 | 3.125 |
| Oct. 19, 2025 | 25,177,150 | 3.095 |
| Feb. 27, 2026 | 5,130,104 | 4.548 |
| Dec. 17, 2039 | 26,669,882 | 9.275 |
| Jan. 7, 2045 | 3,460,461 | 2.977 |
| Feb. 26, 2050 | 28,128,253 | 9.546 |
| Dec. 15, 2058 | 23,071,984 | 8.526 |
| Feb. 5, 2064 | 3,589,123 | 2.995 |
| Feb. 27, 2069 | 22,514,175 | 8.387 |
| Dec. 14, 2082 | 12,272,015 | 6.176 |
| May 12, 2083 | 29,358,056 | 4.305 |
| Feb. 7, 2088 | 3,324,473 | 3.006 |
| Oct. 1, 2092 | 28,928,217 | 4.312 |
| Feb. 27, 2093 | 11,275,509 | 5.972 |
| Dec. 15, 2111 | 24,136,038 | 8.738 |
| Dec. 17, 2116 | 2,102,058 | 3.983 |
| April 25, 2117 | 24,056,728 | 2.751 |
2011 CL50's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Feb. 12, 2011. It was last officially observed on Jan. 18, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 131 observations used to determine its orbit.
2011 CL50 can be reached with a journey of 426 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 5.881 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 558,040 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.
See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2011 CL50.
The position of 2011 CL50 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.