2011 EM40

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
• Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
• Will pass within 29,567,395 km of Earth in 2025
• Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

2011 EM40 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2011 EM40 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 EM40 orbits the sun every 451 days (1.23 years), coming as close as 0.72 AU and reaching as far as 1.58 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2011 EM40 is probably between 0.004 to 0.020 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2011 EM40'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 EM40 has 2 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

NASA Sentry has assessed impact risk for 57 very close approach scenarios. Here are the top scenarios ordered by probability of impact:

Images and Observations

2011 EM40's orbit is determined by observations dating back to March 10, 2011. It was last officially observed on March 14, 2011. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 25 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

2011 EM40 can be reached with a journey of 450 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 10.499 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 1,070 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2011 EM40.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2011 EM40:

• 6239 Minos (1989 QF)
• 65733 (1993 PC)
• 90367 (2003 LC5)

References

• JPL Small Body Database
• Mission Design
• Sky Finder Chart

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2011 EM40 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.