Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 357,790 km of Earth in 2019
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2019 OD is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2019 OD 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 OD orbits the sun every 1,340 days (3.67 years), coming as close as 0.68 AU and reaching as far as 4.08 AU from the sun. Its orbit is highly elliptical. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2019 OD is probably between 0.056 to 0.124 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2019 OD'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 OD has 4 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
July 24, 2019 357,790 19.193
Aug. 11, 2041 28,746,734 14.554
July 20, 2052 3,663,073 20.392
Dec. 27, 2092 971,852 19.512

Images and Observations

2019 OD's orbit is determined by observations dating back to July 5, 2019. It was last officially observed on July 25, 2019. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 135 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 OD:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.381 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.713
  • Inclination: 0.62°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 108.8°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 269.74°
  • Mean Anomaly: 33.0°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.072 km
  • Magnitude: 23.4

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,340 days (3.67 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 19.33 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 4.08 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.68 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2019 OD 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 OD 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.