2019 GK3 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2019 GK3 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.
2019 GK3 orbits the sun every 427 days (1.17 years), coming as close as 0.96 AU and reaching as far as 1.26 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2019 GK3 is probably between 0.002 to 0.010 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.
2019 GK3's orbit is 0.00 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.
2019 GK3 has 11 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
| Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
|---|---|---|
| April 1, 2019 | 1,025,749 | 3.265 |
| Oct. 18, 2025 | 26,824,731 | 3.397 |
| April 11, 2026 | 12,895,298 | 5.539 |
| Dec. 12, 2052 | 23,954,938 | 7.702 |
| Dec. 27, 2059 | 4,956,377 | 3.352 |
| May 20, 2060 | 21,716,646 | 2.132 |
| Dec. 18, 2066 | 12,222,321 | 5.205 |
| June 11, 2067 | 26,463,419 | 3.071 |
| April 18, 2096 | 23,238,547 | 7.566 |
| Nov. 2, 2102 | 22,768,683 | 2.745 |
| April 8, 2103 | 4,455,686 | 3.866 |
NASA Sentry has assessed impact risk for 5 very close approach scenarios. Here are the top scenarios ordered by probability of impact:
| Date | Probability of Impact (%) | Impact Energy (Mt) |
|---|---|---|
| March 31, 2103 | 0.00134 | 0.001641 |
| March 30, 2116 | 0.00001 | 0.001642 |
| March 30, 2121 | 0.00001 | 0.00164 |
| March 29, 2120 | 0.00001 | 0.001639 |
| March 30, 2121 | 0.00000 | 0.001643 |
2019 GK3's orbit is determined by observations dating back to April 4, 2019. It was last officially observed on April 14, 2019. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 35 observations used to determine its orbit.
2019 GK3 can be reached with a journey of 370 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 6.3 km/s. To put this into perspective, the delta-v to launch a rocket to Low-Earth Orbit is 9.7 km/s. There are 347,592 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.
See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2019 GK3.
The position of 2019 GK3 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.