2018 HK

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2018 HK

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 26,796,340 km of Earth in 2026
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2018 HK is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2018 HK 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 HK orbits the sun every 465 days (1.27 years), coming as close as 0.73 AU and reaching as far as 1.62 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2018 HK is probably between 0.136 to 0.305 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2018 HK's orbit is 0.16 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 HK has 9 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Oct. 7, 2026 26,796,340 20.438
Oct. 13, 2040 24,036,949 19.402
Oct. 22, 2054 27,213,093 18.710
Oct. 7, 2105 27,510,769 20.590
Oct. 16, 2119 24,040,696 19.342
Oct. 25, 2133 29,130,862 18.534
Oct. 6, 2170 28,647,829 20.820
Oct. 15, 2184 23,981,520 19.364
Oct. 26, 2198 29,116,890 18.518

Images and Observations

2018 HK's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Aug. 19, 2017. It was last officially observed on April 28, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 64 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 HK:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.175 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.3787
  • Inclination: 29.37°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 208.15°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 232.63°
  • Mean Anomaly: 183.49°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.176 km
  • Magnitude: 21.45

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 465 days (1.27 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 27.49 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.62 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.73 AU

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

⧉

Sky Map

The position of 2018 HK 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 HK 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.