2012 SD22

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2012 SD22

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
  • Will pass within 24,597,638 km of Earth in 2024
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2012 SD22 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2012 SD22 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2012 SD22 orbits the sun every 1,010 days (2.77 years), coming as close as 0.84 AU and reaching as far as 3.09 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2012 SD22 is probably between 0.261 to 0.583 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 90% of asteroids but tiny compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building.

Close Approaches

2012 SD22's orbit is 0.02 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 SD22 has 12 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Jan. 2, 2024 24,597,638 11.023
Jan. 12, 2035 22,266,457 10.927
Jan. 22, 2046 18,558,380 10.830
Feb. 8, 2057 8,496,014 11.784
Feb. 5, 2068 11,687,951 11.417
Jan. 13, 2079 22,252,937 10.996
Dec. 27, 2089 25,408,879 11.048
Dec. 17, 2100 25,860,397 10.914
Nov. 22, 2111 23,778,933 10.561
Nov. 3, 2122 20,587,304 12.663
Oct. 28, 2133 23,122,297 14.589
March 2, 2197 22,105,900 17.361

Images and Observations

2012 SD22's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Aug. 26, 2001. It was last officially observed on April 20, 2013. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 144 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 SD22:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.964 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5727
  • Inclination: 7.91°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 140.24°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 313.82°
  • Mean Anomaly: 322.25°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.337 km
  • Magnitude: 20.04

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,010 days (2.77 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 21.15 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.09 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.84 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2012 SD22 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 SD22 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.