2018 UQ1

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2018 UQ1

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a basketball court
  • Will pass within 24,587,322 km of Earth in 2021
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2018 UQ1 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2018 UQ1 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2018 UQ1 orbits the sun every 749 days (2.05 years), coming as close as 0.82 AU and reaching as far as 2.41 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2018 UQ1 is probably between 0.107 to 0.239 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a basketball court.

The rotation of 2018 UQ1 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 3.93 hours.

Close Approaches

2018 UQ1'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 UQ1 has 15 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Jan. 13, 2021 24,587,322 9.913
March 17, 2023 4,105,293 11.677
Nov. 5, 2057 21,908,222 16.084
Dec. 20, 2059 20,626,778 9.331
March 5, 2062 12,785,730 9.451
Nov. 2, 2096 27,005,534 17.154
Dec. 12, 2098 18,201,660 9.160
Feb. 27, 2101 16,365,069 9.103
Nov. 4, 2135 28,819,799 17.494
Dec. 9, 2137 16,953,047 9.123
Feb. 26, 2140 17,099,209 9.112
April 2, 2142 29,068,255 17.468
Nov. 28, 2176 10,775,947 9.667
Feb. 12, 2179 21,493,096 9.356
March 30, 2181 21,329,732 15.894

Images and Observations

2018 UQ1's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 20, 2018. It was last officially observed on May 6, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 272 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 UQ1:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460000.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.614 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4912
  • Inclination: 1.61°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 255.29°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 219.05°
  • Mean Anomaly: 11.18°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.138 km
  • Magnitude: 21.98

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 749 days (2.05 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 23.44 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.41 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.82 AU
  • Rotation Period: 3.93 hours

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

⧉

Sky Map

The position of 2018 UQ1 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 UQ1 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.