2014 YJ42

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2014 YJ42

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 20,152,318 km of Earth in 2021
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2014 YJ42 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2014 YJ42 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.

2014 YJ42 orbits the sun every 1,130 days (3.09 years), coming as close as 0.65 AU and reaching as far as 3.60 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2014 YJ42 is probably between 0.211 to 0.472 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2014 YJ42's orbit is 0.11 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 YJ42 has 10 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
June 13, 2021 20,152,318 18.148
Dec. 30, 2045 23,190,851 22.576
June 10, 2052 21,064,670 17.178
Dec. 30, 2076 21,029,249 22.024
June 5, 2083 28,885,117 15.455
Jan. 1, 2111 22,270,077 22.446
June 9, 2117 23,705,911 16.316
Jan. 12, 2145 18,937,547 17.514
June 11, 2154 24,551,199 16.362
June 30, 2157 29,476,185 24.280

Images and Observations

2014 YJ42's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Dec. 29, 2014. It was last officially observed on July 11, 2018. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 60 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 YJ42:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.124 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.6949
  • Inclination: 6.95°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 356.9°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 186.29°
  • Mean Anomaly: 275.25°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.273 km
  • Magnitude: 20.5

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,130 days (3.09 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 20.45 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.60 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.65 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2014 YJ42 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 YJ42 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.