2021 OJ

Very small Aten-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Aten-class Asteroids » 2021 OJ

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 25,158,780 km of Earth in 2021
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2021 OJ is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2021 OJ 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 OJ orbits the sun every 294 days (0.80 years), coming as close as 0.52 AU and reaching as far as 1.21 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2021 OJ is probably between 0.080 to 0.179 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2021 OJ's orbit is 0.17 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 OJ has 14 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
July 29, 2021 25,158,780 20.321
July 28, 2025 27,046,874 20.001
July 31, 2058 28,426,413 20.946
July 30, 2062 25,179,144 20.325
July 28, 2066 27,035,939 19.998
July 31, 2099 28,637,218 20.970
July 31, 2103 25,214,986 20.341
July 30, 2107 26,931,985 19.998
Aug. 1, 2140 28,687,959 20.974
July 31, 2144 25,240,080 20.343
July 29, 2148 26,932,111 19.995
Aug. 1, 2181 28,794,174 20.989
July 31, 2185 25,272,693 20.344
July 30, 2189 26,858,173 20.003

Images and Observations

2021 OJ's orbit is determined by observations dating back to July 8, 2021. It was last officially observed on Aug. 9, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 20 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 OJ:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 0.8646 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.3983
  • Inclination: 42.8°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 303.89°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 167.03°
  • Mean Anomaly: 86.31°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.104 km
  • Magnitude: 22.6

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 294 days (0.80 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 31.99 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.21 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.52 AU

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

⧉

Sky Map

The position of 2021 OJ 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 OJ 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.