Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 10,512,443 km of Earth in 2022
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2018 JM2 is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2018 JM2 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 JM2 orbits the sun every 291 days (0.80 years), coming as close as 0.67 AU and reaching as far as 1.05 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2018 JM2 is probably between 0.021 to 0.046 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2018 JM2'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 JM2 has 17 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
May 10, 2022 10,512,443 8.773
May 17, 2026 20,541,942 9.013
May 3, 2061 25,507,095 12.129
May 3, 2065 12,810,850 10.325
May 5, 2069 3,369,691 9.294
May 7, 2073 4,102,742 8.971
May 11, 2077 11,596,358 8.772
May 16, 2081 20,716,901 9.017
May 4, 2120 17,602,990 10.959
May 5, 2124 7,047,312 9.664
May 7, 2128 2,672,331 9.091
May 11, 2132 10,403,418 8.791
May 17, 2136 20,430,467 9.011
May 4, 2171 19,241,604 11.183
May 6, 2175 7,130,822 9.672
May 8, 2179 3,313,074 9.029
May 13, 2183 14,066,349 8.810

Images and Observations

2018 JM2's orbit is determined by observations dating back to May 8, 2018. It was last officially observed on May 18, 2018. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 46 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 JM2:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 0.8599 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.224
  • Inclination: 16.7°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 226.66°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 203.83°
  • Mean Anomaly: 39.48°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.027 km
  • Magnitude: 25.55

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 291 days (0.80 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 32.15 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.05 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.67 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2018 JM2 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.