2023 MU2 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2023 MU2 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 MU2 orbits the sun every 451 days (1.23 years), coming as close as 0.96 AU and reaching as far as 1.34 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2023 MU2 is probably between 0.003 to 0.012 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.
2023 MU2'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.
2023 MU2 has 6 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
| Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
|---|---|---|
| June 3, 2019 | 28,572,750 | 9.820 |
| June 25, 2023 | 216,998 | 4.518 |
| Nov. 20, 2023 | 29,564,653 | 3.100 |
| Oct. 12, 2039 | 12,079,547 | 6.378 |
| June 16, 2044 | 9,431,154 | 5.961 |
| Oct. 2, 2060 | 3,203,381 | 4.191 |
2023 MU2's orbit is determined by observations dating back to June 16, 2023. It was last officially observed on June 26, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 75 observations used to determine its orbit.
2023 MU2 can be reached with a journey of 330 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 6.016 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 301,402 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.
See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2023 MU2.
The position of 2023 MU2 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.