203471 (2002 AU4)

Very small Aten-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Aten-class Asteroids » 203471 (2002 AU4)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
  • Will pass within 22,443,455 km of Earth in 2027
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

203471 (2002 AU4) is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2002 AU4 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.

2002 AU4 orbits the sun every 289 days (0.79 years), coming as close as 0.54 AU and reaching as far as 1.17 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2002 AU4 is probably between 0.342 to 0.766 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 90% of asteroids but tiny compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building.

The rotation of 2002 AU4 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 13.26 hours.

Close Approaches

2002 AU4's orbit is 0.09 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.

2002 AU4 has 20 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Dec. 17, 2027 22,443,455 15.738
Dec. 26, 2031 19,766,294 11.425
Dec. 17, 2046 14,162,800 13.511
Jan. 4, 2051 27,130,421 11.218
Dec. 18, 2061 29,259,620 17.304
Dec. 23, 2065 16,594,653 11.701
Dec. 17, 2080 13,518,951 13.291
Jan. 6, 2085 28,838,609 11.203
Dec. 18, 2095 21,492,780 15.560
Dec. 29, 2099 22,042,911 11.295
Dec. 23, 2114 15,310,602 11.873
Dec. 19, 2129 13,394,167 13.276
Jan. 8, 2134 28,826,928 11.199
Dec. 18, 2144 23,783,565 16.107
Dec. 27, 2148 19,634,579 11.416
Dec. 20, 2163 13,149,400 13.142
Jan. 7, 2168 28,356,829 11.217
Dec. 19, 2178 29,872,477 17.479
Dec. 23, 2182 15,161,640 11.902
Dec. 18, 2197 22,356,180 15.826

Images and Observations

2002 AU4's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Jan. 7, 1994. It was last officially observed on Feb. 13, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 415 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 2002 AU4:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 0.8554 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.3735
  • Inclination: 17.18°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 99.42°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 205.19°
  • Mean Anomaly: 316.22°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.442 km
  • Magnitude: 19.45

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 289 days (0.79 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 32.20 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.17 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.54 AU
  • Rotation Period: 13.26 hours

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

⧉

Sky Map

The position of 203471 (2002 AU4) 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 2002 AU4 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.