Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 17,487,576 km of Earth in 2020
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2011 GD60 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2011 GD60 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 GD60 orbits the sun every 412 days (1.13 years), coming as close as 0.91 AU and reaching as far as 1.26 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2011 GD60 is probably between 0.073 to 0.324 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2011 GD60's orbit is 0.07 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.

2011 GD60 has 23 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Sept. 30, 2020 17,487,576 4.168
Nov. 4, 2029 18,850,664 7.149
May 25, 2037 28,234,937 10.179
June 9, 2046 10,754,374 6.172
July 6, 2055 12,037,463 5.063
Aug. 12, 2064 17,216,701 5.237
Dec. 13, 2064 27,734,570 4.862
Oct. 1, 2073 17,541,246 4.104
Nov. 4, 2082 18,149,011 6.897
June 6, 2099 12,726,999 6.806
June 25, 2108 10,137,265 5.150
July 25, 2117 15,033,281 5.186
Aug. 29, 2126 18,112,740 5.069
Dec. 5, 2126 24,520,904 4.336
Oct. 27, 2135 16,470,353 3.854
Nov. 5, 2144 19,221,349 7.271
June 5, 2161 14,023,788 7.134
June 20, 2170 9,451,788 5.329
July 13, 2179 12,951,314 5.080
Aug. 11, 2188 17,066,853 5.239
Dec. 15, 2188 27,903,545 4.930
Sept. 18, 2197 18,205,547 4.533
Nov. 18, 2197 20,446,645 3.585

Images and Observations

2011 GD60's orbit is determined by observations dating back to April 8, 2011. It was last officially observed on Jan. 10, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 252 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

2011 GD60 can be reached with a journey of 362 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 7.911 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 60,954 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2011 GD60.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2011 GD60:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.083 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1624
  • Inclination: 6.06°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 114.87°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 211.14°
  • Mean Anomaly: 253.01°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.199 km
  • Magnitude: 21.9

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 412 days (1.13 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 28.60 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.26 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.91 AU

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2011 GD60 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 GD60 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.