2018 AL3 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2018 AL3 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.
2018 AL3 orbits the sun every 449 days (1.23 years), coming as close as 0.86 AU and reaching as far as 1.43 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2018 AL3 is probably between 0.023 to 0.104 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.
2018 AL3'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.
2018 AL3 has 19 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
---|---|---|
Aug. 5, 2022 | 14,894,678 | 8.912 |
Dec. 17, 2033 | 12,465,531 | 5.631 |
Aug. 3, 2038 | 20,799,886 | 10.396 |
Nov. 4, 2049 | 22,627,548 | 6.104 |
Jan. 13, 2061 | 22,610,880 | 11.565 |
Aug. 25, 2065 | 19,617,999 | 4.198 |
Jan. 4, 2077 | 3,947,726 | 7.914 |
Aug. 13, 2081 | 14,975,946 | 5.331 |
Jan. 15, 2093 | 26,296,512 | 12.288 |
Oct. 24, 2097 | 23,272,523 | 6.048 |
Dec. 16, 2113 | 13,210,331 | 5.626 |
Aug. 7, 2118 | 15,208,731 | 8.977 |
Dec. 29, 2129 | 6,608,951 | 6.324 |
Aug. 7, 2134 | 15,644,522 | 9.107 |
Nov. 18, 2145 | 20,746,888 | 5.992 |
Jan. 16, 2157 | 26,542,180 | 12.341 |
Jan. 6, 2173 | 3,904,871 | 7.834 |
Aug. 14, 2177 | 13,919,956 | 5.681 |
Jan. 14, 2189 | 19,895,213 | 11.022 |
2018 AL3's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Jan. 12, 2018. It was last officially observed on Feb. 12, 2018. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 41 observations used to determine its orbit.
2018 AL3 can be reached with a journey of 362 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 8.055 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 12,719 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.
See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2018 AL3.
The position of 2018 AL3 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.
The below comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 2018 AL3 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.