2018 YJ2

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2018 YJ2

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a basketball court
  • Will pass within 7,028,006 km of Earth in 2023
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2018 YJ2 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2018 YJ2 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2018 YJ2 orbits the sun every 457 days (1.25 years), coming as close as 0.69 AU and reaching as far as 1.63 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2018 YJ2 is probably between 0.115 to 0.258 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a basketball court.

Close Approaches

2018 YJ2's orbit is 0.03 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 YJ2 has 23 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Dec. 21, 2023 7,028,006 13.059
Dec. 22, 2028 9,238,110 13.957
Dec. 25, 2033 14,634,530 15.283
Dec. 28, 2038 22,346,084 16.941
June 4, 2042 27,962,972 18.013
June 7, 2047 19,009,975 16.227
June 8, 2052 12,977,497 14.986
June 13, 2057 5,465,712 12.406
June 19, 2062 17,964,775 9.475
Nov. 28, 2102 28,575,581 8.601
Dec. 15, 2107 16,024,414 10.002
Dec. 21, 2112 7,249,915 12.448
Dec. 25, 2117 11,419,799 14.499
Dec. 31, 2122 28,324,625 18.190
June 10, 2126 15,472,631 15.510
June 15, 2131 5,938,579 12.278
June 21, 2136 21,625,147 8.787
Dec. 6, 2166 24,708,384 8.664
Dec. 22, 2171 7,392,791 12.436
Dec. 29, 2176 21,670,306 16.776
June 8, 2180 20,639,149 16.546
June 15, 2185 6,503,557 12.108
June 27, 2190 28,923,251 7.398

Images and Observations

2018 YJ2's orbit is determined by observations dating back to April 6, 2013. It was last officially observed on April 16, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 146 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 YJ2:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.161 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4039
  • Inclination: 6.52°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 65.13°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 293.34°
  • Mean Anomaly: 326.64°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.149 km
  • Magnitude: 21.81

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 457 days (1.25 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 27.64 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.63 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.69 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2018 YJ2 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 YJ2 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.