2022 AE1

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2022 AE1

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 9,939,680 km of Earth in 2021
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2022 AE1 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2022 AE1 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.

2022 AE1 orbits the sun every 651 days (1.78 years), coming as close as 0.67 AU and reaching as far as 2.27 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2022 AE1 is probably between 0.054 to 0.120 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2022 AE1's orbit is 0.00 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is very close to Earth's orbit.

2022 AE1 has 15 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Dec. 31, 2021 9,939,680 18.301
July 1, 2023 8,067,163 17.898
July 21, 2039 27,080,642 11.401
Dec. 10, 2046 28,567,330 11.106
Jan. 6, 2063 27,765,012 21.914
July 9, 2064 11,432,939 14.191
July 15, 2089 20,541,410 12.461
Dec. 12, 2096 26,043,216 11.411
July 18, 2114 23,243,118 12.001
Dec. 18, 2121 20,771,529 12.339
Dec. 29, 2146 1,717,190 16.185
June 28, 2148 18,582,397 19.933
Dec. 21, 2171 17,360,330 12.983
July 20, 2189 25,468,007 11.635
Dec. 14, 2196 25,895,546 11.456

Images and Observations

2022 AE1's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Jan. 3, 2022. It was last officially observed on June 29, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 108 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 AE1:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.47 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5461
  • Inclination: 6.3°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 102.18°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 268.37°
  • Mean Anomaly: 10.88°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.069 km
  • Magnitude: 23.48

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 651 days (1.78 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 24.57 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.27 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.67 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2022 AE1 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 AE1 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.