2011 PS

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

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

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 12,417,572 km of Earth in 2028
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

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

2011 PS orbits the sun every 887 days (2.43 years), coming as close as 0.88 AU and reaching as far as 2.74 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2011 PS is probably between 0.221 to 0.494 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2011 PS's orbit is 0.03 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 PS has 10 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Sept. 9, 2028 12,417,572 13.374
Sept. 2, 2045 27,240,424 16.410
Jan. 8, 2058 26,347,740 15.943
Jan. 1, 2075 13,313,771 12.796
Jan. 1, 2092 12,686,704 12.577
Jan. 7, 2109 22,270,018 15.014
Sept. 5, 2130 24,301,663 15.830
Sept. 11, 2147 14,286,742 13.806
Sept. 11, 2164 13,799,636 13.678
Sept. 6, 2181 23,570,605 15.637

Images and Observations

2011 PS's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Aug. 2, 2011. It was last officially observed on March 30, 2017. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 143 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 PS:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.806 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5152
  • Inclination: 3.73°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 19.08°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 26.85°
  • Mean Anomaly: 323.0°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.285 km
  • Magnitude: 20.4

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 887 days (2.43 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 22.15 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.74 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.88 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2011 PS 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 PS 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.