2022 OC3

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
• Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
• Will pass within 1,225,876 km of Earth in 2022
• Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

2022 OC3 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2022 OC3 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 OC3 orbits the sun every 374 days (1.02 years), coming as close as 0.88 AU and reaching as far as 1.15 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2022 OC3 is probably between 0.004 to 0.016 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2022 OC3's orbit is 0.00 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.

2022 OC3 has 7 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

NASA Sentry has assessed impact risk for 67 very close approach scenarios. Here are the top scenarios ordered by probability of impact:

Images and Observations

2022 OC3's orbit is determined by observations dating back to July 27, 2022. It was last officially observed on Aug. 3, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 33 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

2022 OC3 can be reached with a journey of 354 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 4.036 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 1,896,520 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2022 OC3.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2022 OC3:

• 4581 Asclepius (1989 FC)
• 10563 Izhdubar (1993 WD)
• 54509 YORP (2000 PH5)

References

• JPL Small Body Database
• Mission Design
• Sky Finder Chart

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2022 OC3 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.