2022 AC1

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2022 AC1

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 20,263,373 km of Earth in 2022
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2022 AC1 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2022 AC1 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2022 AC1 orbits the sun every 853 days (2.34 years), coming as close as 0.80 AU and reaching as far as 2.72 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2022 AC1 is probably between 0.170 to 0.380 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2022 AC1'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.

2022 AC1 has 12 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Jan. 30, 2022 20,263,373 15.388
Jan. 30, 2029 19,963,320 15.122
Jan. 31, 2036 20,161,932 15.144
Jan. 29, 2043 21,460,499 15.841
Jan. 26, 2050 24,860,375 17.063
June 27, 2115 21,817,496 18.245
June 20, 2122 9,225,046 15.586
June 16, 2129 6,011,944 14.426
June 15, 2136 5,964,577 14.241
June 17, 2143 6,077,329 14.414
June 18, 2150 7,555,741 15.034
June 24, 2157 16,939,504 17.131

Images and Observations

2022 AC1's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Dec. 17, 2014. It was last officially observed on Sept. 1, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 135 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 2022 AC1:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.76 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5452
  • Inclination: 8.15°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 250.3°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 307.74°
  • Mean Anomaly: 230.51°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.220 km
  • Magnitude: 20.97

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 853 days (2.34 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 22.45 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.72 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.80 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2022 AC1 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 2022 AC1 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.