Key Facts
- Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
- Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge (1.10 km diameter)
- Will pass within 28,508,341 km of Earth in 2032
- Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
- Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
- See orbit simulation
Overview
Aten is a mid-sized asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified Aten 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.
Aten orbits the sun every 347 days (0.95 years), coming as close as 0.79 AU and reaching as far as 1.14 AU from the sun. Aten is about 1.1 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge.
The rotation of Aten has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 42.15 hours.
Aten's spectral type S (Tholen) / Sr (SMASSII) indicates that it is likely to contain and .
Close Approaches
Aten's orbit is 0.11 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.
Aten has 13 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
| Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
|---|---|---|
| Dec. 31, 2032 | 28,508,341 | 10.255 |
| Jan. 20, 2034 | 19,925,493 | 11.397 |
| Jan. 14, 2053 | 17,651,359 | 10.466 |
| Jan. 2, 2072 | 27,558,208 | 10.239 |
| Jan. 21, 2073 | 20,766,744 | 11.510 |
| Jan. 13, 2092 | 18,798,472 | 10.365 |
| Jan. 2, 2111 | 28,311,299 | 10.247 |
| Jan. 22, 2112 | 20,138,339 | 11.409 |
| Jan. 17, 2131 | 17,143,553 | 10.593 |
| Jan. 13, 2150 | 18,690,836 | 10.353 |
| Jan. 11, 2169 | 20,183,026 | 10.284 |
| Jan. 10, 2188 | 21,613,882 | 10.252 |
| Jan. 24, 2189 | 28,698,716 | 12.782 |
Images and Observations
Aten's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Dec. 17, 1955. It was last officially observed on Nov. 10, 2019. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 1,024 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 Aten:References
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or view a random objectOrbital Elements
- Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
- Semi-major axis: 0.967 AU
- Eccentricity: 0.1829
- Inclination: 18.93°
- Longitude of Ascending Node: 108.53°
- Argument of Periapsis: 148.05°
- Mean Anomaly: 283.42°
Physical Characteristics
- Diameter: 1.10000 km
- Magnitude: 17.11
- Albedo: 0.26
- Spectral type (Tholen): S
- Spectral type (SMASS): Sr
Derived Characteristics
- Orbit Period: 347 days (0.95 years)
- Avg. Orbit Speed: 30.32 km/s
- Aphelion Distance: 1.14 AU
- Perihelion Distance: 0.79 AU
- Rotation Period: 42.15 hours
- Approx. Composition: and .
Map Comparison
Orbit Simulation
Sky Map
The position of Aten 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 Aten 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.
