2012 EP10

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
• Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
• Will pass within 19,273,804 km of Earth in 2025
• Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

2012 EP10 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2012 EP10 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.

2012 EP10 orbits the sun every 393 days (1.08 years), coming as close as 0.93 AU and reaching as far as 1.17 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2012 EP10 is probably between 0.003 to 0.012 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2012 EP10's orbit is 0.00 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.

2012 EP10 has 1 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

NASA Sentry has assessed impact risk for 116 very close approach scenarios. Here are the top scenarios ordered by probability of impact:

Images and Observations

2012 EP10's orbit is determined by observations dating back to March 15, 2012. It was last officially observed on March 28, 2012. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 31 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

2012 EP10 can be reached with a journey of 394 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 4.697 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 1,197,255 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2012 EP10.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2012 EP10:

• 4034 Vishnu (1986 PA)
• 4544 Xanthus (1989 FB)
• 68950 (2002 QF15)

References

• JPL Small Body Database
• Mission Design
• Sky Finder Chart

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2012 EP10 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.