2022 AK

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

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

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a basketball court
  • Will pass within 13,353,200 km of Earth in 2021
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

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

2022 AK orbits the sun every 452 days (1.24 years), coming as close as 0.53 AU and reaching as far as 1.77 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2022 AK is probably between 0.104 to 0.233 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a basketball court.

Close Approaches

2022 AK's orbit is 0.02 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 AK has 12 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Dec. 22, 2021 13,353,200 20.138
May 16, 2025 25,516,842 12.768
May 3, 2030 23,516,292 21.882
Dec. 21, 2047 9,069,130 19.261
May 17, 2051 24,615,224 12.941
May 4, 2056 19,604,220 21.062
Dec. 22, 2073 12,647,354 19.982
May 17, 2077 28,017,643 12.277
Dec. 11, 2078 29,789,345 11.725
May 6, 2082 15,547,064 20.156
Dec. 26, 2099 25,673,273 22.679
Dec. 15, 2104 16,941,160 14.180

Images and Observations

2022 AK's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Dec. 27, 2021. It was last officially observed on Jan. 27, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 52 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 AK:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.153 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5386
  • Inclination: 5.85°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 77.9°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 260.53°
  • Mean Anomaly: 184.79°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.135 km
  • Magnitude: 22.03

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 452 days (1.24 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 27.75 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.77 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.53 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2022 AK 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 AK 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.