2012 KT12 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2012 KT12 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 KT12 orbits the sun every 504 days (1.38 years), coming as close as 1.00 AU and reaching as far as 1.48 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2012 KT12 is probably between 0.008 to 0.034 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.
2012 KT12'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 KT12 has 12 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
| Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
|---|---|---|
| May 17, 2019 | 1,591,870 | 3.999 |
| Aug. 2, 2030 | 19,808,048 | 7.545 |
| May 7, 2048 | 7,198,321 | 5.126 |
| May 29, 2059 | 1,487,657 | 3.486 |
| July 29, 2077 | 14,851,134 | 6.565 |
| April 26, 2084 | 22,325,457 | 8.227 |
| July 1, 2102 | 3,089,663 | 3.454 |
| July 22, 2127 | 6,575,779 | 4.733 |
| May 10, 2134 | 6,096,191 | 4.916 |
| Aug. 6, 2152 | 26,676,547 | 8.998 |
| May 10, 2159 | 6,193,852 | 4.932 |
| Aug. 5, 2188 | 22,725,231 | 8.185 |
2012 KT12's orbit is determined by observations dating back to May 19, 2012. It was last officially observed on May 14, 2019. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 36 observations used to determine its orbit.
2012 KT12 can be reached with a journey of 450 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 8.419 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 37,907 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.
See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2012 KT12.
The position of 2012 KT12 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.