2012 QG42

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2012 QG42

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 21,151,012 km of Earth in 2019
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2012 QG42 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2012 QG42 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2012 QG42 orbits the sun every 379 days (1.04 years), coming as close as 0.64 AU and reaching as far as 1.41 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2012 QG42 is probably between 0.176 to 0.393 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

The rotation of 2012 QG42 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 24.22 hours.

Close Approaches

2012 QG42'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.

2012 QG42 has 24 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
April 22, 2019 21,151,012 14.649
Sept. 7, 2038 25,704,636 16.335
Sept. 16, 2039 9,184,885 9.740
April 10, 2045 18,500,819 8.682
April 24, 2046 24,743,340 15.473
Sept. 6, 2065 29,053,197 16.996
Sept. 15, 2066 6,277,461 10.296
April 10, 2072 17,852,079 8.831
April 24, 2073 26,658,157 15.926
Sept. 14, 2092 2,379,185 11.213
April 11, 2098 17,510,297 8.915
April 25, 2099 27,236,628 16.071
Sept. 9, 2117 22,176,056 15.647
Sept. 17, 2118 15,572,880 8.607
April 19, 2124 13,006,467 12.237
Sept. 8, 2142 27,038,364 16.618
Sept. 17, 2143 11,554,362 9.303
April 19, 2149 13,304,103 12.377
Sept. 11, 2167 19,430,934 15.112
Sept. 16, 2168 18,559,255 8.120
April 21, 2174 15,118,764 13.034
Sept. 8, 2192 28,029,058 16.804
Sept. 17, 2193 10,394,264 9.525
April 19, 2199 12,834,388 12.138

Images and Observations

2012 QG42's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Aug. 26, 2012. It was last officially observed on May 11, 2019. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 2,171 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 2012 QG42:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.026 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.3744
  • Inclination: 6.81°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 344.78°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 116.18°
  • Mean Anomaly: 143.08°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.227 km
  • Magnitude: 20.9

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 379 days (1.04 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 29.45 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.41 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.64 AU
  • Rotation Period: 24.22 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2012 QG42 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 2012 QG42 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.