2023 LZ1

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2023 LZ1

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 15,969,350 km of Earth in 2023
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2023 LZ1 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2023 LZ1 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2023 LZ1 orbits the sun every 416 days (1.14 years), coming as close as 0.87 AU and reaching as far as 1.31 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2023 LZ1 is probably between 0.176 to 0.394 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2023 LZ1'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.

2023 LZ1 has 11 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
April 10, 2023 15,969,350 17.341
April 3, 2031 7,675,866 16.048
March 26, 2039 26,786,235 15.613
Oct. 12, 2046 21,818,808 15.185
Oct. 13, 2054 28,212,470 16.594
Oct. 13, 2095 21,918,700 15.450
April 15, 2113 27,918,970 18.575
April 7, 2121 7,648,430 16.553
March 31, 2129 16,313,045 15.694
Oct. 11, 2136 25,143,698 14.763
Oct. 13, 2144 22,544,173 15.634

Images and Observations

2023 LZ1's orbit is determined by observations dating back to May 31, 2023. It was last officially observed on July 9, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 39 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 LZ1:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.091 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.2005
  • Inclination: 29.14°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 193.5°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 298.28°
  • Mean Anomaly: 178.15°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.228 km
  • Magnitude: 20.89

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 416 days (1.14 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 28.53 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.31 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.87 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2023 LZ1 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 2023 LZ1 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.