2018 SF3 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2018 SF3 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 SF3 orbits the sun every 372 days (1.02 years), coming as close as 0.86 AU and reaching as far as 1.17 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2018 SF3 is probably between 0.160 to 0.710 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building.
2018 SF3's orbit is 0.06 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that there is an wide berth between this asteroid and Earth at all times.
2018 SF3 has 9 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
| Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
|---|---|---|
| Sept. 9, 2019 | 20,523,779 | 4.563 |
| Jan. 21, 2020 | 22,289,512 | 4.759 |
| Aug. 13, 2020 | 25,102,478 | 4.640 |
| Feb. 23, 2021 | 19,471,971 | 5.141 |
| July 16, 2021 | 26,143,562 | 4.100 |
| March 29, 2022 | 13,766,068 | 4.698 |
| April 26, 2023 | 11,840,190 | 5.579 |
| May 8, 2024 | 23,462,081 | 8.433 |
| Oct. 22, 2070 | 16,328,572 | 7.131 |
2018 SF3's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 30, 2018. It was last officially observed on Oct. 10, 2018. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 31 observations used to determine its orbit.
2018 SF3 can be reached with a journey of 402 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 7.083 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 345,260 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.
See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2018 SF3.
The position of 2018 SF3 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.