Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Amor-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a basketball court
  • Will pass within 28,577,596 km of Earth in 2049
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2014 MP5 is a very small asteroid whose orbit approaches the orbit of Earth but does not cross it. NASA JPL has classified 2014 MP5 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2014 MP5 orbits the sun every 1,160 days (3.18 years), coming as close as 1.04 AU and reaching as far as 3.29 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2014 MP5 is probably between 0.116 to 0.259 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a basketball court.

Close Approaches

2014 MP5'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.

2014 MP5 has 4 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Sept. 9, 2049 28,577,596 12.477
July 11, 2065 21,916,852 11.324
July 31, 2100 5,871,686 8.956
Aug. 9, 2154 3,572,778 8.703

Images and Observations

2014 MP5's orbit is determined by observations dating back to June 19, 2014. It was last officially observed on Nov. 30, 2014. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 94 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 2014 MP5:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.166 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.521
  • Inclination: 9.76°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 133.41°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 183.15°
  • Mean Anomaly: 306.55°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.150 km
  • Magnitude: 21.8

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,160 days (3.18 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 20.31 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.29 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.04 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2014 MP5 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 2014 MP5 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.