2011 GA

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2011 GA

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 2,607,888 km of Earth in 2023
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2011 GA is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2011 GA as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2011 GA orbits the sun every 885 days (2.42 years), coming as close as 0.74 AU and reaching as far as 2.87 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2011 GA is probably between 0.172 to 0.386 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2011 GA's orbit is 0.01 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.

2011 GA has 11 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Oct. 15, 2023 2,607,888 16.595
May 10, 2028 16,954,116 18.483
Sept. 30, 2052 22,950,571 13.092
Oct. 18, 2093 6,057,357 18.146
May 15, 2098 15,438,920 16.449
Oct. 16, 2122 4,412,820 16.386
May 10, 2127 21,414,944 19.765
Oct. 20, 2163 5,630,550 17.989
May 16, 2168 16,056,008 16.744
Oct. 19, 2192 4,605,479 17.739
May 19, 2197 17,503,889 15.629

Images and Observations

2011 GA's orbit is determined by observations dating back to April 1, 2011. It was last officially observed on May 7, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 69 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 2011 GA:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.803 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5911
  • Inclination: 9.83°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 200.37°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 109.81°
  • Mean Anomaly: 5.37°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.223 km
  • Magnitude: 20.94

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 885 days (2.42 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 22.16 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.87 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.74 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2011 GA 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 2011 GA 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.