2012 XM55 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2012 XM55 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 XM55 orbits the sun every 420 days (1.15 years), coming as close as 0.95 AU and reaching as far as 1.24 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2012 XM55 is probably between 0.005 to 0.020 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.
2012 XM55's orbit is 0.01 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.
2012 XM55 has 6 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
| Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
|---|---|---|
| Oct. 5, 2020 | 26,465,545 | 3.361 |
| April 11, 2021 | 14,668,367 | 5.696 |
| Dec. 11, 2035 | 14,601,513 | 5.751 |
| June 15, 2036 | 26,330,134 | 3.282 |
| Nov. 4, 2043 | 19,381,624 | 2.131 |
| March 28, 2044 | 2,355,590 | 2.782 |
2012 XM55's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Dec. 8, 2012. It was last officially observed on Dec. 20, 2012. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 61 observations used to determine its orbit.
2012 XM55 can be reached with a journey of 298 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 5.177 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 837,965 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.
See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2012 XM55.
The position of 2012 XM55 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.