Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 11,670,465 km of Earth in 2020
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2021 KY2 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2021 KY2 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 KY2 orbits the sun every 399 days (1.09 years), coming as close as 1.01 AU and reaching as far as 1.11 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2021 KY2 is probably between 0.015 to 0.067 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2021 KY2's orbit is 0.05 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 KY2 has 21 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Dec. 26, 2020 11,670,465 5.682
June 9, 2021 9,422,651 5.382
Dec. 6, 2032 17,518,356 5.290
June 30, 2044 20,957,374 5.225
Dec. 27, 2055 12,052,353 5.704
June 9, 2056 9,211,806 5.368
June 26, 2079 17,613,338 5.154
Dec. 25, 2090 10,290,043 5.504
June 8, 2091 11,332,408 5.600
Nov. 27, 2102 23,449,834 5.318
Jan. 6, 2114 26,722,911 7.407
June 21, 2114 13,764,904 5.062
Dec. 25, 2125 9,845,697 5.442
June 8, 2126 12,249,084 5.707
Jan. 7, 2149 29,113,752 7.732
Dec. 26, 2160 11,197,844 5.589
June 9, 2161 9,946,646 5.480
Dec. 4, 2172 19,191,372 5.300
June 27, 2184 19,519,142 5.222
Dec. 28, 2195 12,222,516 5.680
June 9, 2196 8,975,904 5.390

Images and Observations

2021 KY2's orbit is determined by observations dating back to May 31, 2021. It was last officially observed on June 18, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 48 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

2021 KY2 can be reached with a journey of 370 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 6.311 km/s. To put this into perspective, the delta-v to launch a rocket to Low-Earth Orbit is 9.7 km/s. There are 162,382 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2021 KY2.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2021 KY2:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.061 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.0473
  • Inclination: 9.85°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 85.24°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 76.27°
  • Mean Anomaly: 113.91°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.041 km
  • Magnitude: 25.32

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 399 days (1.09 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 28.93 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.11 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.01 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2021 KY2 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 KY2 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.