Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 20,745,103 km of Earth in 2023
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2018 HP is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2018 HP 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 HP orbits the sun every 264 days (0.72 years), coming as close as 0.48 AU and reaching as far as 1.13 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2018 HP is probably between 0.015 to 0.033 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2018 HP'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 HP has 27 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
March 1, 2023 20,745,103 8.800
April 26, 2026 29,383,923 16.870
Feb. 15, 2036 18,566,575 11.472
April 29, 2039 7,637,148 12.198
April 23, 2052 8,893,255 9.531
Feb. 23, 2057 19,219,386 9.003
April 26, 2060 23,963,513 15.720
April 4, 2065 20,325,353 8.827
Feb. 14, 2070 19,781,580 12.179
April 28, 2073 5,266,743 11.637
Feb. 16, 2083 29,089,863 15.253
April 25, 2086 7,413,138 9.741
April 26, 2094 29,074,797 16.800
Feb. 17, 2104 17,555,735 10.752
April 30, 2107 12,110,394 13.142
Feb. 16, 2117 25,057,962 14.092
April 27, 2120 4,530,478 10.357
April 11, 2133 18,253,819 8.824
Feb. 16, 2138 17,991,307 11.278
April 29, 2141 8,531,705 12.374
March 18, 2146 22,536,775 8.831
Feb. 17, 2151 29,756,376 15.470
April 25, 2154 9,172,625 9.484
Feb. 24, 2159 18,839,587 9.074
April 28, 2162 23,103,582 15.503
Feb. 16, 2172 20,765,212 12.674
April 29, 2175 3,856,048 11.054

Images and Observations

2018 HP's orbit is determined by observations dating back to April 19, 2018. It was last officially observed on April 26, 2018. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 40 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 HP:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 0.806 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4051
  • Inclination: 7.65°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 208.61°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 154.58°
  • Mean Anomaly: 41.21°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.019 km
  • Magnitude: 26.27

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 264 days (0.72 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 33.21 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.13 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.48 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2018 HP 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.