2011 GM44

Very small Aten-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Aten-class Asteroids » 2011 GM44

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
  • Will pass within 11,662,573 km of Earth in 2020
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2011 GM44 is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2011 GM44 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2011 GM44 orbits the sun every 252 days (0.69 years), coming as close as 0.38 AU and reaching as far as 1.19 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2011 GM44 is probably between 0.312 to 0.698 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 90% of asteroids but tiny compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building.

Close Approaches

2011 GM44's orbit is 0.02 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 GM44 has 21 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
March 30, 2020 11,662,573 24.571
March 29, 2029 23,533,707 23.619
April 5, 2040 21,006,541 28.357
April 3, 2049 9,321,542 26.730
April 1, 2058 4,148,613 25.466
March 30, 2067 14,935,455 24.265
March 28, 2076 27,719,787 23.371
April 7, 2078 28,922,138 29.574
April 5, 2087 15,556,840 27.601
April 1, 2096 4,349,600 25.986
April 1, 2105 8,808,305 24.851
March 31, 2114 20,174,216 23.857
April 7, 2125 24,483,271 28.915
April 5, 2134 12,133,336 27.124
April 3, 2143 3,619,194 25.700
March 31, 2152 11,712,778 24.572
March 30, 2161 23,182,888 23.653
April 7, 2172 21,535,466 28.473
April 4, 2181 9,435,862 26.750
April 2, 2190 4,409,023 25.451
April 1, 2199 15,444,640 24.241

Images and Observations

2011 GM44's orbit is determined by observations dating back to May 28, 2006. It was last officially observed on April 20, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 139 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 GM44:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 0.7817 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5191
  • Inclination: 49.33°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 10.83°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 37.53°
  • Mean Anomaly: 97.81°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.403 km
  • Magnitude: 19.65

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 252 days (0.69 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 33.75 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.19 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.38 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2011 GM44 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 GM44 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.