2013 RH74

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2013 RH74

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 5,801,125 km of Earth in 2051
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2013 RH74 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2013 RH74 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2013 RH74 orbits the sun every 1,260 days (3.45 years), coming as close as 0.93 AU and reaching as far as 3.64 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2013 RH74 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 2013 RH74 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 5.35 hours.

Close Approaches

2013 RH74'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 RH74 has 5 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Oct. 22, 2051 5,801,125 11.442
Dec. 22, 2082 13,836,487 9.447
Jan. 18, 2114 20,980,077 13.669
Oct. 21, 2151 9,502,886 12.137
Oct. 31, 2182 4,730,344 10.206

Images and Observations

2013 RH74's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 15, 2013. It was last officially observed on Aug. 15, 2020. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 382 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 RH74:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.284 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5942
  • Inclination: 5.48°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 200.43°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 227.76°
  • Mean Anomaly: 302.21°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.227 km
  • Magnitude: 20.9

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,260 days (3.45 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 19.72 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.64 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.93 AU
  • Rotation Period: 5.35 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2013 RH74 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 RH74 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.