2019 XQ3

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2019 XQ3

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 6,366,336 km of Earth in 2019
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2019 XQ3 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2019 XQ3 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2019 XQ3 orbits the sun every 502 days (1.37 years), coming as close as 0.92 AU and reaching as far as 1.56 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2019 XQ3 is probably between 0.195 to 0.437 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2019 XQ3's orbit is 0.01 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.

2019 XQ3 has 12 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Dec. 19, 2019 6,366,336 27.793
Dec. 19, 2030 5,713,548 27.760
Dec. 18, 2041 10,596,930 28.028
Dec. 15, 2052 18,777,199 28.547
Dec. 14, 2063 28,606,879 29.271
Dec. 27, 2122 24,191,208 26.834
Dec. 25, 2133 15,298,657 26.993
Dec. 23, 2144 8,492,567 27.192
Dec. 23, 2155 5,382,582 27.305
Dec. 24, 2166 8,347,299 27.195
Dec. 25, 2177 14,990,003 27.001
Dec. 27, 2188 23,915,136 26.834

Images and Observations

2019 XQ3's orbit is determined by observations dating back to June 13, 2009. It was last officially observed on Dec. 23, 2019. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 53 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 XQ3:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.237 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.2601
  • Inclination: 50.96°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 88.49°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 52.17°
  • Mean Anomaly: 226.8°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.252 km
  • Magnitude: 20.67

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 502 days (1.37 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 26.81 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.56 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.92 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2019 XQ3 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 XQ3 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.