2018 ES3

Very small Aten-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Aten-class Asteroids » 2018 ES3

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 27,169,017 km of Earth in 2026
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2018 ES3 is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2018 ES3 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 ES3 orbits the sun every 325 days (0.89 years), coming as close as 0.70 AU and reaching as far as 1.15 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2018 ES3 is probably between 0.031 to 0.070 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2018 ES3'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.

2018 ES3 has 16 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Feb. 28, 2026 27,169,017 8.735
April 4, 2051 26,271,211 12.364
April 3, 2059 21,246,121 11.217
April 2, 2067 18,682,732 10.560
March 30, 2075 16,170,693 9.658
March 25, 2083 16,631,892 9.024
March 17, 2091 19,871,960 8.784
March 9, 2099 23,559,436 8.733
March 4, 2107 26,318,440 8.745
April 4, 2132 25,541,071 12.183
April 3, 2140 20,254,109 10.935
March 31, 2148 16,331,206 9.705
March 24, 2156 17,145,681 8.960
March 14, 2164 21,572,776 8.751
March 4, 2172 25,872,093 8.746
April 4, 2197 21,953,740 11.339

Images and Observations

2018 ES3's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Feb. 12, 2018. It was last officially observed on March 19, 2018. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 29 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 ES3:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 0.9254 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.244
  • Inclination: 14.17°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 351.81°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 337.92°
  • Mean Anomaly: 274.25°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.041 km
  • Magnitude: 24.64

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 325 days (0.89 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 30.98 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.15 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.70 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2018 ES3 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 ES3 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.