2021 KD

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2021 KD

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a basketball court
  • Will pass within 12,741,051 km of Earth in 2021
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2021 KD is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2021 KD as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2021 KD orbits the sun every 432 days (1.18 years), coming as close as 1.00 AU and reaching as far as 1.23 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2021 KD is probably between 0.123 to 0.274 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a basketball court.

Close Approaches

2021 KD's orbit is 0.03 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 KD has 12 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
May 26, 2021 12,741,051 14.272
Nov. 23, 2021 27,502,356 13.527
May 31, 2034 10,137,119 13.405
May 28, 2066 8,056,218 13.953
Nov. 23, 2066 27,905,293 13.671
June 1, 2079 13,945,710 13.365
May 29, 2111 10,538,729 14.123
Nov. 25, 2111 27,432,370 13.581
May 31, 2124 9,746,465 13.412
May 27, 2156 13,663,783 14.340
Nov. 25, 2156 27,284,743 13.493
May 31, 2169 8,814,409 13.433

Images and Observations

2021 KD's orbit is determined by observations dating back to May 13, 2015. It was last officially observed on Jan. 1, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 121 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 KD:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.119 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1035
  • Inclination: 26.02°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 66.92°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 235.64°
  • Mean Anomaly: 295.12°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.158 km
  • Magnitude: 21.68

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 432 days (1.18 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 28.18 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.23 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.00 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2021 KD 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 KD 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.