267729 (2003 FC5)

Small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 267729 (2003 FC5)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Will pass within 5,551,486 km of Earth in 2034
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

267729 (2003 FC5) is a small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2003 FC5 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2003 FC5 orbits the sun every 969 days (2.65 years), coming as close as 0.75 AU and reaching as far as 3.08 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2003 FC5 is probably between 0.540 to 1.208 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 2003 FC5 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 129.50 hours.

Close Approaches

2003 FC5'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.

2003 FC5 has 8 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Oct. 23, 2034 5,551,486 15.526
March 21, 2072 24,499,183 20.342
March 8, 2080 6,829,008 14.605
Oct. 30, 2103 10,905,464 13.840
March 25, 2141 29,628,728 21.356
March 11, 2149 4,854,744 15.018
Oct. 27, 2172 7,788,826 14.791
Oct. 13, 2180 28,898,741 21.173

Images and Observations

2003 FC5's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Aug. 16, 2002. It was last officially observed on July 23, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 817 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 2003 FC5:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.917 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.6086
  • Inclination: 5.83°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 188.76°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 271.26°
  • Mean Anomaly: 276.25°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.697 km
  • Magnitude: 18.46

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 969 days (2.65 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 21.52 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.08 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.75 AU
  • Rotation Period: 129.50 hours

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

⧉

Sky Map

The position of 267729 (2003 FC5) 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 2003 FC5 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.