2022 OT2

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2022 OT2

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a basketball court
  • Will pass within 28,663,107 km of Earth in 2022
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2022 OT2 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2022 OT2 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2022 OT2 orbits the sun every 831 days (2.28 years), coming as close as 0.84 AU and reaching as far as 2.62 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2022 OT2 is probably between 0.113 to 0.254 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a basketball court.

Close Approaches

2022 OT2's orbit is 0.04 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 OT2 has 13 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Aug. 13, 2022 28,663,107 16.430
Nov. 29, 2031 16,097,277 10.337
Aug. 17, 2047 24,120,793 15.138
Dec. 1, 2056 14,853,146 10.398
Aug. 14, 2072 28,370,695 16.313
Nov. 12, 2081 22,329,296 10.457
Oct. 15, 2106 25,988,933 10.505
Jan. 4, 2116 29,098,168 17.985
Sept. 25, 2131 24,024,679 9.953
Dec. 29, 2140 17,430,898 15.600
Sept. 24, 2156 23,956,138 9.966
Jan. 1, 2166 22,904,350 16.727
Oct. 9, 2181 25,560,214 10.315

Images and Observations

2022 OT2's orbit is determined by observations dating back to July 24, 2022. It was last officially observed on Jan. 21, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 23 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 OT2:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.729 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5147
  • Inclination: 7.01°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 70.1°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 322.52°
  • Mean Anomaly: 151.04°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.146 km
  • Magnitude: 21.85

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 831 days (2.28 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 22.64 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.62 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.84 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2022 OT2 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 OT2 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.