247360 (2001 XU)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 247360 (2001 XU)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
  • Will pass within 28,815,692 km of Earth in 2034
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

247360 (2001 XU) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2001 XU as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2001 XU orbits the sun every 1,510 days (4.13 years), coming as close as 0.42 AU and reaching as far as 4.73 AU from the sun. Its orbit is highly elliptical. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2001 XU is probably between 0.357 to 0.798 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

2001 XU's orbit is 0.01 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.

2001 XU has 4 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Dec. 23, 2034 28,815,692 23.595
Dec. 14, 2071 7,617,210 28.183
Dec. 18, 2112 19,243,468 25.833
Dec. 5, 2182 27,487,625 33.821

Images and Observations

2001 XU's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Dec. 7, 2001. It was last officially observed on Sept. 2, 2014. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 124 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 2001 XU:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.574 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.8368
  • Inclination: 19.07°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 261.02°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 286.03°
  • Mean Anomaly: 85.94°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.461 km
  • Magnitude: 19.36

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,510 days (4.13 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 18.54 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 4.73 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.42 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 247360 (2001 XU) 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 2001 XU 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.