2018 GY

Very small Aten-class Asteroid

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

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 3,599,077 km of Earth in 2020
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2018 GY is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2018 GY 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 GY orbits the sun every 245 days (0.67 years), coming as close as 0.45 AU and reaching as far as 1.08 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2018 GY is probably between 0.029 to 0.064 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2018 GY's orbit is 0.01 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.

2018 GY has 34 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
March 16, 2020 3,599,077 9.336
March 13, 2022 4,559,888 10.681
March 12, 2024 14,908,826 12.814
March 13, 2026 26,471,201 15.281
May 8, 2057 24,475,018 12.584
May 6, 2059 18,728,996 10.381
April 28, 2061 16,798,601 8.952
April 16, 2063 16,061,669 8.511
April 2, 2065 13,561,358 8.480
March 22, 2067 8,297,401 8.762
March 15, 2069 1,447,468 9.760
March 13, 2071 5,691,494 10.918
March 12, 2073 14,263,133 12.686
March 13, 2075 23,767,752 14.707
May 8, 2112 24,912,208 12.663
May 8, 2114 19,823,351 10.803
May 2, 2116 17,394,637 9.401
April 24, 2118 16,708,816 8.707
April 13, 2120 15,807,525 8.482
April 3, 2122 13,557,727 8.485
March 24, 2124 9,592,660 8.659
March 18, 2126 4,253,835 9.250
March 15, 2128 1,533,010 10.118
March 13, 2130 11,383,562 12.106
March 14, 2132 23,166,806 14.588
May 9, 2163 23,606,210 12.144
May 6, 2165 18,516,827 9.982
April 26, 2167 17,083,640 8.759
April 12, 2169 15,859,656 8.466
March 30, 2171 12,193,929 8.517
March 19, 2173 5,566,584 9.085
March 15, 2175 2,782,513 10.387
March 13, 2177 15,029,128 12.869
March 15, 2179 28,757,799 15.821

Images and Observations

2018 GY's orbit is determined by observations dating back to March 18, 2018. It was last officially observed on March 28, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 34 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 GY:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 0.7664 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4065
  • Inclination: 8.75°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 176.92°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 204.93°
  • Mean Anomaly: 203.06°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.037 km
  • Magnitude: 24.83

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 245 days (0.67 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 34.03 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.08 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.45 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2018 GY 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 GY 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.