Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 2,973,404 km of Earth in 2019
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2019 XD is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2019 XD 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 XD orbits the sun every 337 days (0.92 years), coming as close as 0.79 AU and reaching as far as 1.10 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2019 XD is probably between 0.009 to 0.020 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2019 XD's orbit is 0.02 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 XD has 10 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Nov. 29, 2019 2,973,404 11.531
May 4, 2021 29,286,379 13.710
Nov. 29, 2031 11,309,394 10.803
Nov. 30, 2043 19,587,288 10.564
Dec. 1, 2055 21,774,215 10.536
Nov. 30, 2067 17,690,693 10.598
Nov. 29, 2079 9,920,767 10.901
Nov. 29, 2091 4,010,977 11.362
May 4, 2093 29,153,371 13.699
Nov. 30, 2103 3,381,275 11.564

Images and Observations

2019 XD's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 28, 2019. It was last officially observed on Dec. 3, 2019. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 13 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 XD:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 0.9473 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1629
  • Inclination: 20.4°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 67.83°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 238.37°
  • Mean Anomaly: 142.3°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.011 km
  • Magnitude: 27.4

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 337 days (0.92 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 30.58 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.10 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.79 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2019 XD 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.