2013 BT18

Very small Aten-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Aten-class Asteroids » 2013 BT18

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 22,439,786 km of Earth in 2020
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2013 BT18 is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2013 BT18 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.

2013 BT18 orbits the sun every 248 days (0.68 years), coming as close as 0.34 AU and reaching as far as 1.21 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2013 BT18 is probably between 0.056 to 0.124 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2013 BT18'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.

2013 BT18 has 45 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Nov. 29, 2020 22,439,786 20.503
Feb. 1, 2028 20,740,370 20.209
Feb. 1, 2030 11,328,238 13.715
Nov. 30, 2035 14,708,732 13.277
Nov. 28, 2037 17,916,234 19.453
Jan. 30, 2045 23,669,979 20.870
Feb. 2, 2047 9,141,482 14.067
Nov. 29, 2052 15,415,839 13.175
Nov. 29, 2054 17,727,630 19.426
Jan. 31, 2062 21,403,851 20.378
Feb. 1, 2064 11,582,071 13.653
Nov. 28, 2069 12,166,507 13.670
Nov. 30, 2071 21,927,568 20.393
Feb. 1, 2079 18,570,582 19.739
Jan. 31, 2081 13,627,001 13.358
Nov. 29, 2086 12,027,123 13.693
Nov. 29, 2088 21,094,937 20.179
Feb. 1, 2096 21,739,198 20.433
Feb. 1, 2098 10,218,783 13.889
Dec. 2, 2103 16,382,526 13.052
Nov. 29, 2105 15,625,581 18.909
Jan. 31, 2113 27,254,237 21.679
Feb. 4, 2115 5,740,965 14.705
Jan. 18, 2117 29,200,959 12.278
Dec. 2, 2120 18,434,363 12.794
Nov. 29, 2122 14,286,955 18.611
Jan. 31, 2130 25,730,473 21.345
Feb. 4, 2132 7,909,316 14.293
Dec. 1, 2137 15,140,734 13.197
Nov. 30, 2139 18,350,503 19.554
Feb. 2, 2147 21,087,367 20.290
Feb. 2, 2149 11,290,976 13.702
Dec. 2, 2154 16,001,229 13.082
Nov. 29, 2156 15,875,663 18.950
Jan. 31, 2164 28,599,965 21.969
Feb. 4, 2166 4,172,417 15.032
Jan. 20, 2168 28,294,184 12.271
Dec. 4, 2171 20,175,349 12.622
Nov. 29, 2173 11,928,083 18.018
Jan. 31, 2181 28,962,160 22.056
Feb. 4, 2183 5,023,676 14.836
Jan. 18, 2185 29,347,126 12.272
Dec. 2, 2188 17,051,664 12.935
Nov. 30, 2190 16,266,839 19.051
Feb. 1, 2198 22,585,031 20.627

Images and Observations

2013 BT18's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Jan. 18, 2013. It was last officially observed on Dec. 13, 2018. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 93 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 2013 BT18:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 0.7731 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5647
  • Inclination: 1.84°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 161.71°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 117.4°
  • Mean Anomaly: 116.2°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.072 km
  • Magnitude: 23.4

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 248 days (0.68 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 33.91 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.21 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.34 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2013 BT18 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 2013 BT18 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.