2018 PN22 is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2018 PN22 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 PN22 orbits the sun every 360 days (0.99 years), coming as close as 0.95 AU and reaching as far as 1.03 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2018 PN22 is probably between 0.006 to 0.025 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.
2018 PN22's orbit is 0.01 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 PN22 has 20 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
| Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
|---|---|---|
| Aug. 17, 2019 | 6,559,533 | 2.302 |
| Feb. 29, 2020 | 9,171,308 | 2.455 |
| Sept. 14, 2020 | 11,196,241 | 2.286 |
| Feb. 5, 2021 | 4,888,686 | 2.506 |
| Jan. 21, 2022 | 4,357,157 | 2.742 |
| Jan. 4, 2023 | 11,468,518 | 3.783 |
| Dec. 23, 2023 | 23,189,060 | 5.898 |
| July 27, 2082 | 26,362,098 | 6.567 |
| July 27, 2083 | 13,860,548 | 4.316 |
| July 29, 2084 | 3,857,673 | 2.824 |
| July 30, 2085 | 2,246,461 | 2.627 |
| July 25, 2086 | 6,848,723 | 3.132 |
| July 21, 2087 | 17,108,850 | 4.693 |
| July 19, 2088 | 29,391,225 | 6.903 |
| Jan. 24, 2150 | 24,168,105 | 6.221 |
| Jan. 27, 2151 | 11,898,360 | 4.050 |
| Jan. 30, 2152 | 2,714,227 | 2.858 |
| Jan. 26, 2153 | 6,554,892 | 3.269 |
| Jan. 22, 2154 | 16,002,933 | 4.732 |
| Jan. 17, 2155 | 27,478,049 | 6.832 |
2018 PN22's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Aug. 7, 2018. It was last officially observed on Sept. 7, 2018. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 22 observations used to determine its orbit.
2018 PN22 can be reached with a journey of 370 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 4.198 km/s. To put this into perspective, the delta-v to launch a rocket to Low-Earth Orbit is 9.7 km/s. There are 2,082,793 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.
See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2018 PN22.
The position of 2018 PN22 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.