2013 LB

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2013 LB

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 23,528,979 km of Earth in 2026
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2013 LB is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2013 LB 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 LB orbits the sun every 432 days (1.18 years), coming as close as 0.73 AU and reaching as far as 1.50 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2013 LB is probably between 0.048 to 0.214 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2013 LB'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.

2013 LB has 23 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
April 6, 2026 23,528,979 6.225
Dec. 7, 2031 28,359,241 7.146
March 21, 2039 28,680,760 7.273
Nov. 8, 2044 18,949,858 6.192
Nov. 27, 2057 25,347,968 6.396
April 16, 2065 19,564,300 6.270
Oct. 21, 2076 22,123,188 14.323
May 3, 2078 8,052,760 11.426
Nov. 1, 2089 6,997,252 8.559
March 27, 2097 26,552,675 6.831
Oct. 25, 2108 14,709,471 12.836
May 7, 2110 16,890,116 13.196
Oct. 24, 2127 21,060,071 14.120
May 6, 2129 12,134,206 12.265
Oct. 24, 2146 19,948,362 13.893
May 6, 2148 13,221,498 12.455
Nov. 10, 2159 17,970,295 6.364
April 21, 2167 17,702,192 6.514
Oct. 25, 2178 18,088,231 13.483
May 6, 2180 12,315,267 12.308
Dec. 13, 2191 29,199,743 7.415
Oct. 22, 2197 27,491,298 15.395
May 5, 2199 6,435,885 11.123

Images and Observations

2013 LB's orbit is determined by observations dating back to June 1, 2013. It was last officially observed on Oct. 9, 2018. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 61 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

2013 LB can be reached with a journey of 442 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 10.545 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 1,649 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2013 LB.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2013 LB:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.118 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.343
  • Inclination: 2.16°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 17.31°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 109.23°
  • Mean Anomaly: 340.87°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.131 km
  • Magnitude: 22.8

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 432 days (1.18 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 28.15 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.50 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.73 AU

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

⧉

Sky Map

The position of 2013 LB 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 LB 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.