Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
  • Will pass within 17,714,389 km of Earth in 2019
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2019 CD2 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2019 CD2 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2019 CD2 orbits the sun every 1,400 days (3.83 years), coming as close as 0.62 AU and reaching as far as 4.29 AU from the sun. Its orbit is highly elliptical. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2019 CD2 is probably between 0.263 to 0.589 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

2019 CD2'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.

2019 CD2 has 7 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Feb. 1, 2019 17,714,389 17.942
Sept. 9, 2022 27,900,407 16.110
Feb. 11, 2042 6,996,915 22.263
Feb. 12, 2069 16,014,015 23.674
Aug. 21, 2076 22,043,785 24.458
Sept. 8, 2188 24,830,511 20.465
Jan. 20, 2197 5,488,725 16.321

Images and Observations

2019 CD2's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Feb. 4, 2019. It was last officially observed on Aug. 29, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 231 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 2019 CD2:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.452 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.748
  • Inclination: 6.74°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 304.87°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 113.45°
  • Mean Anomaly: 83.66°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.340 km
  • Magnitude: 20.02

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,400 days (3.83 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 19.05 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 4.29 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.62 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2019 CD2 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 2019 CD2 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.