Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a basketball court
  • Will pass within 22,961,999 km of Earth in 2070
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2018 EE is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2018 EE as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2018 EE orbits the sun every 1,730 days (4.74 years), coming as close as 0.98 AU and reaching as far as 4.65 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2018 EE 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

2018 EE'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 EE has 3 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
March 27, 2070 22,961,999 13.564
Jan. 7, 2089 22,873,215 13.530
Feb. 9, 2165 5,461,089 8.453

Images and Observations

2018 EE's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 27, 2017. It was last officially observed on June 4, 2018. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 249 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 2018 EE:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.815 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.6516
  • Inclination: 3.89°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 109.31°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 35.11°
  • Mean Anomaly: 61.74°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.150 km
  • Magnitude: 21.8

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,730 days (4.74 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 17.70 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 4.65 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.98 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2018 EE 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 2018 EE 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.