Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a basketball court
  • Will pass within 2,272,099 km of Earth in 2022
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2022 GY2 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2022 GY2 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2022 GY2 orbits the sun every 1,170 days (3.20 years), coming as close as 0.29 AU and reaching as far as 4.04 AU from the sun. Its orbit is highly elliptical. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2022 GY2 is probably between 0.122 to 0.273 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a basketball court.

The rotation of 2022 GY2 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 9.26 hours.

Close Approaches

2022 GY2'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 GY2 has 1 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
April 5, 2022 2,272,099 30.761

Images and Observations

2022 GY2's orbit is determined by observations dating back to April 7, 2022. It was last officially observed on May 2, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 179 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 GY2:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.167 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.8648
  • Inclination: 6.2°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 195.38°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 237.81°
  • Mean Anomaly: 174.94°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.158 km
  • Magnitude: 21.69

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,170 days (3.20 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 20.15 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 4.04 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.29 AU
  • Rotation Period: 9.26 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2022 GY2 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 GY2 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.