2018 YU

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2018 YU

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
  • Will pass within 21,133,179 km of Earth in 2026
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2018 YU is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2018 YU 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 YU orbits the sun every 855 days (2.34 years), coming as close as 0.92 AU and reaching as far as 2.60 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2018 YU is probably between 0.267 to 0.597 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 90% of asteroids but tiny compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building.

Close Approaches

2018 YU's orbit is 0.06 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 YU has 10 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
March 22, 2026 21,133,179 10.495
April 16, 2033 14,904,776 10.109
May 6, 2040 9,560,808 10.355
May 21, 2047 9,949,931 11.377
June 3, 2054 21,389,105 13.776
March 11, 2122 25,586,013 11.591
April 11, 2129 16,297,103 10.136
May 13, 2136 8,268,584 10.593
June 5, 2143 22,903,045 13.885
March 5, 2197 29,658,192 12.807

Images and Observations

2018 YU's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Aug. 11, 2012. It was last officially observed on July 21, 2019. 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 YU:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.763 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4762
  • Inclination: 11.2°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 223.16°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 339.77°
  • Mean Anomaly: 325.9°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.345 km
  • Magnitude: 19.99

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 855 days (2.34 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 22.43 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.60 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.92 AU

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

⧉

Sky Map

The position of 2018 YU 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 YU 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.