Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 3,679,391 km of Earth in 2020
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2023 HB4 is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2023 HB4 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.

2023 HB4 orbits the sun every 220 days (0.60 years), coming as close as 0.38 AU and reaching as far as 1.04 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2023 HB4 is probably between 0.011 to 0.025 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2023 HB4'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.

2023 HB4 has 17 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
April 26, 2020 3,679,391 10.412
April 24, 2023 969,235 9.585
April 12, 2026 6,434,151 8.723
March 28, 2029 7,458,808 8.820
March 17, 2032 8,696,197 10.173
March 15, 2035 17,839,205 12.841
April 29, 2055 17,292,760 13.461
April 27, 2058 5,347,753 10.758
April 21, 2061 2,898,249 9.198
April 5, 2064 7,371,052 8.655
March 22, 2067 7,193,219 9.297
March 16, 2070 12,848,607 11.517
March 15, 2073 25,429,694 14.746
April 29, 2090 16,896,166 13.367
April 5, 2099 7,375,647 8.659
March 16, 2105 13,087,789 11.601
April 6, 2134 7,294,692 8.667

Images and Observations

2023 HB4's orbit is determined by observations dating back to April 23, 2023. It was last officially observed on April 24, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 71 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 2023 HB4:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 0.7136 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4616
  • Inclination: 5.32°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 211.47°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 165.98°
  • Mean Anomaly: 89.1°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.015 km
  • Magnitude: 26.84

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 220 days (0.60 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 35.29 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.04 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.38 AU

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2023 HB4 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.