2022 BY39 is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2022 BY39 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 BY39 orbits the sun every 359 days (0.98 years), coming as close as 0.92 AU and reaching as far as 1.05 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2022 BY39 is probably between 0.002 to 0.008 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.
2022 BY39's orbit is 0.01 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.
2022 BY39 has 19 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
| Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
|---|---|---|
| May 15, 2019 | 13,544,014 | 2.023 |
| Nov. 5, 2019 | 11,722,153 | 2.037 |
| April 3, 2020 | 12,945,587 | 2.024 |
| Feb. 6, 2021 | 7,671,619 | 1.679 |
| Jan. 24, 2022 | 663,622 | 2.684 |
| Oct. 31, 2022 | 13,372,672 | 2.021 |
| April 9, 2023 | 11,435,791 | 1.768 |
| Aug. 21, 2023 | 10,279,877 | 2.236 |
| July 2, 2024 | 5,070,403 | 2.973 |
| June 20, 2025 | 23,111,896 | 6.514 |
| Jan. 30, 2064 | 29,251,422 | 7.979 |
| Jan. 24, 2065 | 8,425,420 | 3.964 |
| Feb. 18, 2066 | 8,470,497 | 1.923 |
| Sept. 13, 2066 | 12,758,306 | 2.321 |
| July 5, 2067 | 4,015,544 | 2.566 |
| June 18, 2068 | 21,027,357 | 6.078 |
| Jan. 25, 2106 | 11,476,999 | 4.504 |
| June 28, 2108 | 5,471,720 | 3.034 |
| June 14, 2109 | 28,499,134 | 7.514 |
NASA Sentry has assessed impact risk for 2 very close approach scenarios. Here are the top scenarios ordered by probability of impact:
| Date | Probability of Impact (%) | Impact Energy (Mt) |
|---|---|---|
| Jan. 22, 2107 | 0.03175 | 0.0009146 |
| Jan. 20, 2118 | 0.00003 | 0.0009154 |
2022 BY39's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Jan. 26, 2022. It was last officially observed on Jan. 31, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 9 observations used to determine its orbit.
2022 BY39 can be reached with a journey of 362 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 3.719 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 2,774,955 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.
See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2022 BY39.
The position of 2022 BY39 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.