2014 XJ3

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2014 XJ3

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 15,916,891 km of Earth in 2021
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2014 XJ3 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2014 XJ3 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2014 XJ3 orbits the sun every 1,140 days (3.12 years), coming as close as 0.59 AU and reaching as far as 3.69 AU from the sun. Its orbit is highly elliptical. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2014 XJ3 is probably between 0.255 to 0.570 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 90% of asteroids but tiny compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2014 XJ3'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 XJ3 has 11 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
June 19, 2021 15,916,891 18.480
Dec. 22, 2039 20,817,785 25.368
June 27, 2046 4,229,548 21.812
Dec. 28, 2111 8,457,233 22.809
July 3, 2118 13,476,218 23.908
Dec. 23, 2136 18,093,864 25.191
June 19, 2143 19,763,065 17.457
Dec. 31, 2161 3,041,271 21.530
July 3, 2168 15,411,979 24.150
Dec. 30, 2186 5,902,833 22.451
June 22, 2193 18,923,744 17.892

Images and Observations

2014 XJ3's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Dec. 3, 2014. It was last officially observed on July 12, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 480 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 XJ3:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.138 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.7251
  • Inclination: 1.18°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 22.94°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 161.3°
  • Mean Anomaly: 270.99°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.329 km
  • Magnitude: 20.09

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,140 days (3.12 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 20.40 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.69 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.59 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2014 XJ3 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 XJ3 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.