232691 (2004 AR1)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 232691 (2004 AR1)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
  • Will pass within 21,827,978 km of Earth in 2098
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

232691 (2004 AR1) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2004 AR1 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2004 AR1 orbits the sun every 723 days (1.98 years), coming as close as 0.84 AU and reaching as far as 2.32 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2004 AR1 is probably between 0.281 to 0.628 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.

Close Approaches

2004 AR1's orbit is 0.03 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.

2004 AR1 has 14 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Dec. 21, 2098 21,827,978 11.898
Nov. 30, 2100 26,560,074 9.052
Oct. 29, 2102 29,640,813 10.108
Sept. 30, 2104 25,588,122 10.120
Sept. 4, 2106 14,908,486 10.198
Aug. 19, 2108 4,576,373 12.559
Aug. 9, 2110 21,541,224 16.137
Dec. 27, 2187 22,959,895 13.322
Dec. 11, 2189 24,310,743 9.432
Nov. 5, 2191 29,733,718 9.884
Oct. 5, 2193 26,824,609 10.156
Sept. 7, 2195 16,269,655 10.056
Aug. 20, 2197 3,929,904 12.438
Aug. 10, 2199 21,518,265 16.170

Images and Observations

2004 AR1's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Jan. 13, 2004. It was last officially observed on March 5, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 349 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 2004 AR1:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.576 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4697
  • Inclination: 9.08°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 336.52°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 50.29°
  • Mean Anomaly: 7.42°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.363 km
  • Magnitude: 19.88

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 723 days (1.98 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 23.71 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.32 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.84 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 232691 (2004 AR1) 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 2004 AR1 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.