260141 (2004 QT24)

Small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 260141 (2004 QT24)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Will pass within 20,473,532 km of Earth in 2027
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

260141 (2004 QT24) is a small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2004 QT24 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2004 QT24 orbits the sun every 440 days (1.20 years), coming as close as 0.85 AU and reaching as far as 1.42 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2004 QT24 is probably between 0.579 to 1.294 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than ~97% of asteroids but small compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge.

The rotation of 2004 QT24 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 7.66 hours.

Close Approaches

2004 QT24'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.

2004 QT24 has 19 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Oct. 24, 2027 20,473,532 14.244
Oct. 31, 2033 4,571,525 10.992
April 16, 2046 14,564,606 10.725
Oct. 23, 2062 22,181,466 14.503
Nov. 2, 2068 10,530,948 10.404
April 16, 2081 15,024,663 11.931
Oct. 30, 2097 2,022,786 11.680
Nov. 6, 2103 17,497,774 9.857
April 18, 2116 21,155,999 9.792
April 17, 2122 13,376,928 11.470
April 19, 2128 26,552,144 14.317
Oct. 24, 2144 23,855,124 14.759
Oct. 31, 2150 3,281,396 11.829
Nov. 1, 2156 4,995,460 10.959
Nov. 6, 2162 19,904,197 9.706
April 21, 2175 25,591,503 9.515
April 17, 2181 14,711,514 10.506
April 18, 2187 15,197,352 12.204
April 20, 2193 28,350,178 14.671

Images and Observations

2004 QT24's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Aug. 30, 1998. It was last officially observed on June 9, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 751 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 QT24:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.133 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.2519
  • Inclination: 17.75°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 36.1°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 76.65°
  • Mean Anomaly: 163.6°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.747 km
  • Magnitude: 18.31

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 440 days (1.20 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 28.01 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.42 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.85 AU
  • Rotation Period: 7.66 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 260141 (2004 QT24) 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 2004 QT24 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.