Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Amor-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to Mount Everest (2.60 km diameter)
  • Will pass within 8,031,334 km of Earth in 2035
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

Anza is a mid-sized asteroid whose orbit approaches the orbit of Earth but does not cross it. NASA JPL has classified Anza 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.

Anza orbits the sun every 1,250 days (3.42 years), coming as close as 1.05 AU and reaching as far as 3.48 AU from the sun. Anza is about 2.6 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to Mount Everest.

The rotation of Anza has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 6.71 hours.

Close Approaches

Anza's orbit is 0.06 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.

Anza has 5 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Sept. 27, 2035 8,031,334 6.660
Aug. 27, 2093 26,838,021 10.561
Oct. 11, 2110 10,135,497 7.279
Sept. 12, 2151 13,930,804 7.728
Oct. 27, 2168 26,187,840 10.746

Images and Observations

Anza's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 22, 1960. It was last officially observed on March 28, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 1,883 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 Anza:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.265 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5359
  • Inclination: 3.8°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 207.36°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 157.08°
  • Mean Anomaly: 167.64°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 2.60000 km
  • Magnitude: 16.7
  • Spectral type (Tholen): TCG:

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,250 days (3.42 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 19.71 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.48 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.05 AU
  • Rotation Period: 6.71 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Anza 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 above comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of Anza to create an approximate landscape rendering with Mount Everest in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.