2018 JN1

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2018 JN1

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 22,280,499 km of Earth in 2025
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2018 JN1 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2018 JN1 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 JN1 orbits the sun every 416 days (1.14 years), coming as close as 0.89 AU and reaching as far as 1.29 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2018 JN1 is probably between 0.092 to 0.206 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2018 JN1's orbit is 0.05 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 JN1 has 14 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Nov. 23, 2025 22,280,499 14.813
May 9, 2026 27,120,148 13.692
Nov. 15, 2033 6,833,687 15.238
Nov. 6, 2041 24,357,701 16.934
May 8, 2067 26,535,074 14.013
May 6, 2108 29,537,248 14.616
Nov. 26, 2115 23,187,287 14.817
May 10, 2116 26,890,970 13.722
Nov. 17, 2123 6,773,008 15.195
Nov. 8, 2131 22,812,575 16.783
May 8, 2157 26,824,856 14.141
Nov. 21, 2164 14,481,672 14.815
May 12, 2165 29,172,087 13.555
Nov. 13, 2172 10,284,215 15.647

Images and Observations

2018 JN1's orbit is determined by observations dating back to May 8, 2018. It was last officially observed on June 4, 2018. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 81 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 JN1:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.091 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1814
  • Inclination: 27.03°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 54.0°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 48.63°
  • Mean Anomaly: 350.24°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.119 km
  • Magnitude: 22.3

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 416 days (1.14 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 28.53 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.29 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.89 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2018 JN1 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 JN1 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.