Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Amor-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 20,849,346 km of Earth in 2021
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2021 JJ9 is a very small asteroid whose orbit approaches the orbit of Earth but does not cross it. NASA JPL has classified 2021 JJ9 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.

2021 JJ9 orbits the sun every 941 days (2.58 years), coming as close as 1.14 AU and reaching as far as 2.61 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2021 JJ9 is probably between 0.093 to 0.207 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2021 JJ9's orbit is 0.13 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.

2021 JJ9 has 1 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
June 13, 2021 20,849,346 4.735

Images and Observations

2021 JJ9's orbit is determined by observations dating back to May 15, 2021. It was last officially observed on July 17, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 48 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 2021 JJ9:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.879 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.391
  • Inclination: 5.25°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 277.98°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 338.41°
  • Mean Anomaly: 316.02°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.120 km
  • Magnitude: 22.29

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 941 days (2.58 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 21.72 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.61 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.14 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2021 JJ9 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 2021 JJ9 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.