Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 13,203,688 km of Earth in 2019
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2011 UB is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2011 UB 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 UB orbits the sun every 979 days (2.68 years), coming as close as 1.01 AU and reaching as far as 2.85 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2011 UB is probably between 0.008 to 0.019 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2011 UB's orbit is 0.01 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 UB has 6 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Nov. 21, 2019 13,203,688 8.733
Sept. 22, 2078 13,417,703 8.931
Nov. 3, 2086 3,493,780 6.456
Oct. 29, 2129 2,273,863 6.305
Nov. 29, 2164 19,909,148 10.290
Oct. 9, 2191 4,784,362 6.925

Images and Observations

2011 UB's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 16, 2011. It was last officially observed on Oct. 21, 2011. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 31 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 UB:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.929 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4777
  • Inclination: 1.88°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 23.1°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 8.62°
  • Mean Anomaly: 159.24°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.011 km
  • Magnitude: 27.5

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 979 days (2.68 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 21.44 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.85 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.01 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2011 UB 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.