Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 13,747,372 km of Earth in 2021
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2022 FM2 is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2022 FM2 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 FM2 orbits the sun every 349 days (0.96 years), coming as close as 0.92 AU and reaching as far as 1.02 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2022 FM2 is probably between 0.010 to 0.042 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2022 FM2'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 FM2 has 21 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Oct. 14, 2021 13,747,372 6.902
March 31, 2022 4,457,109 6.173
Aug. 17, 2022 29,741,140 6.710
Nov. 7, 2042 26,492,771 8.004
March 20, 2043 23,158,041 7.139
Sept. 21, 2043 16,147,712 6.775
April 5, 2044 15,327,881 7.208
Oct. 8, 2064 12,563,512 6.792
April 1, 2065 3,899,445 6.252
Oct. 5, 2085 12,664,983 6.773
April 2, 2086 5,022,868 6.335
Oct. 19, 2105 15,322,031 7.013
March 29, 2106 7,465,016 6.160
Aug. 23, 2106 28,059,207 6.760
Oct. 10, 2126 12,831,593 6.804
April 2, 2127 3,810,279 6.230
April 6, 2148 16,491,089 7.383
Oct. 14, 2167 13,604,417 6.875
March 30, 2168 4,845,962 6.153
Oct. 18, 2188 14,794,177 6.980
March 28, 2189 8,610,690 6.162

Images and Observations

2022 FM2's orbit is determined by observations dating back to March 26, 2022. It was last officially observed on April 6, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 57 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

2022 FM2 can be reached with a journey of 370 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 7.766 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 65,486 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2022 FM2.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2022 FM2:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 0.9702 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.0562
  • Inclination: 11.84°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 9.97°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 348.99°
  • Mean Anomaly: 18.77°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.026 km
  • Magnitude: 26.32

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 349 days (0.96 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 30.24 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.02 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.92 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2022 FM2 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.