2018 GZ is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2018 GZ 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 GZ orbits the sun every 412 days (1.13 years), coming as close as 0.98 AU and reaching as far as 1.18 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2018 GZ is probably between 0.005 to 0.021 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.
2018 GZ's orbit is 0.00 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.
2018 GZ has 12 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
| Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
|---|---|---|
| Oct. 26, 2026 | 21,164,966 | 3.490 |
| April 21, 2027 | 21,134,067 | 6.207 |
| Sept. 13, 2035 | 26,574,442 | 3.995 |
| July 28, 2044 | 26,453,647 | 3.208 |
| March 2, 2053 | 9,984,631 | 2.979 |
| Feb. 28, 2062 | 10,328,141 | 3.026 |
| Aug. 3, 2071 | 25,627,198 | 3.246 |
| Sept. 20, 2080 | 24,574,093 | 3.894 |
| Nov. 5, 2089 | 18,808,518 | 3.159 |
| April 16, 2090 | 13,650,175 | 4.816 |
| Dec. 13, 2098 | 15,426,600 | 1.731 |
| April 3, 2099 | 1,264,080 | 3.087 |
2018 GZ's orbit is determined by observations dating back to April 8, 2018. It was last officially observed on April 20, 2018. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 40 observations used to determine its orbit.
2018 GZ can be reached with a journey of 370 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 5.887 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 348,667 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.
See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2018 GZ.
The position of 2018 GZ 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.