Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Will pass within 19,640,624 km of Earth in 2049
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

26379 (1999 HZ1) is a small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 1999 HZ1 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.

1999 HZ1 orbits the sun every 744 days (2.04 years), coming as close as 0.68 AU and reaching as far as 2.53 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 1999 HZ1 is probably between 0.609 to 1.362 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.

Close Approaches

1999 HZ1's orbit is 0.13 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.

1999 HZ1 has 8 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Oct. 5, 2049 19,640,624 16.561
March 12, 2060 22,492,193 14.977
Oct. 6, 2108 19,579,273 16.750
March 14, 2119 22,659,134 14.731
Sept. 29, 2165 28,253,175 20.179
Oct. 17, 2167 21,973,303 14.141
March 3, 2176 29,510,002 12.163
March 23, 2178 24,545,593 18.368

Images and Observations

1999 HZ1's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Aug. 27, 1992. It was last officially observed on July 2, 2008. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 69 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 1999 HZ1:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.606 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5761
  • Inclination: 8.68°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 252.1°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 200.59°
  • Mean Anomaly: 46.22°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.786 km
  • Magnitude: 18.2

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 744 days (2.04 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 23.48 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.53 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.68 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 26379 (1999 HZ1) 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 1999 HZ1 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.