2018 UX1

Very small Amor-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Amor-class Asteroids » 2018 UX1

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Amor-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 14,428,623 km of Earth in 2022
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2018 UX1 is a very small asteroid whose orbit approaches the orbit of Earth but does not cross it. NASA JPL has classified 2018 UX1 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 UX1 orbits the sun every 488 days (1.34 years), coming as close as 1.08 AU and reaching as far as 1.35 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2018 UX1 is probably between 0.041 to 0.091 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2018 UX1's orbit is 0.10 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 UX1 has 14 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Oct. 26, 2022 14,428,623 10.672
Oct. 25, 2026 15,412,616 10.830
Oct. 25, 2030 17,948,276 11.085
Oct. 25, 2034 22,169,350 11.462
Oct. 25, 2038 27,949,335 11.991
Oct. 28, 2137 26,042,778 10.600
Oct. 28, 2141 20,496,496 10.495
Oct. 27, 2145 16,736,692 10.487
Oct. 27, 2149 14,741,620 10.552
Oct. 27, 2153 14,293,521 10.659
Oct. 27, 2157 15,226,129 10.817
Oct. 26, 2161 17,738,234 11.064
Oct. 26, 2165 21,920,416 11.424
Oct. 26, 2169 27,673,504 11.958

Images and Observations

2018 UX1's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 21, 2018. It was last officially observed on Nov. 19, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 101 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 UX1:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.212 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1114
  • Inclination: 20.18°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 215.0°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 150.44°
  • Mean Anomaly: 258.83°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.052 km
  • Magnitude: 24.08

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 488 days (1.34 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 27.02 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.35 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.08 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2018 UX1 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 UX1 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.