244977 (2004 BE68)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 244977 (2004 BE68)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge (0.50 km diameter)
  • Will pass within 27,254,021 km of Earth in 2148
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

244977 (2004 BE68) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2004 BE68 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2004 BE68 orbits the sun every 853 days (2.34 years), coming as close as 0.98 AU and reaching as far as 2.54 AU from the sun. 2004 BE68 is about 0.5 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 90% of asteroids but tiny compared to large asteroids, comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge.

Close Approaches

2004 BE68's orbit is 0.01 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 BE68 has 4 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Oct. 2, 2148 27,254,021 13.780
Oct. 5, 2155 24,606,892 13.368
Oct. 4, 2162 25,008,404 13.431
Oct. 2, 2169 28,474,334 13.933

Images and Observations

2004 BE68's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Jan. 27, 2004. It was last officially observed on April 19, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 405 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 BE68:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.761 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4445
  • Inclination: 15.74°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 210.88°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 191.25°
  • Mean Anomaly: 174.77°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 0.49500 km
  • Magnitude: 18.48
  • Albedo: 0.235

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 853 days (2.34 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 22.46 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.54 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.98 AU

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

⧉

Sky Map

The position of 244977 (2004 BE68) 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 BE68 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.