2018 KD2

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
• Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
• Will pass within 23,358,437 km of Earth in 2019
• Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

2018 KD2 is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2018 KD2 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 KD2 orbits the sun every 294 days (0.80 years), coming as close as 0.45 AU and reaching as far as 1.28 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2018 KD2 is probably between 0.019 to 0.042 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2018 KD2'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 KD2 has 20 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Images and Observations

2018 KD2's orbit is determined by observations dating back to May 21, 2018. It was last officially observed on May 23, 2018. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 31 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 KD2:

• 86667 (2000 FO10)
• 87684 (2000 SY2)
• 141484 (2002 DB4)

References

• JPL Small Body Database
• Mission Design
• Sky Finder Chart

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2018 KD2 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.