276770 (2004 HC)

Very small Aten-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Aten-class Asteroids » 276770 (2004 HC)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
  • Will pass within 29,398,759 km of Earth in 2023
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

276770 (2004 HC) is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2004 HC 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.

2004 HC orbits the sun every 256 days (0.70 years), coming as close as 0.32 AU and reaching as far as 1.26 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2004 HC is probably between 0.271 to 0.605 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

2004 HC's orbit is 0.09 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 HC has 21 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
April 18, 2023 29,398,759 24.609
April 19, 2030 22,744,284 23.071
April 20, 2037 17,384,493 21.698
April 20, 2044 14,356,687 20.531
April 21, 2051 14,416,948 19.527
April 20, 2058 17,060,835 18.738
April 19, 2065 21,109,626 18.075
April 17, 2072 25,656,278 17.627
April 19, 2098 26,067,202 23.803
April 21, 2105 20,300,100 22.420
April 21, 2112 16,059,111 21.213
April 22, 2119 14,232,405 20.085
April 22, 2126 15,533,053 19.152
April 21, 2133 19,227,332 18.353
April 19, 2140 24,040,299 17.779
April 18, 2147 29,081,555 17.373
April 21, 2166 22,636,509 22.962
April 22, 2173 16,386,334 21.230
April 22, 2180 14,466,322 19.831
April 22, 2187 17,514,922 18.679
April 20, 2194 23,169,871 17.885

Images and Observations

2004 HC's orbit is determined by observations dating back to April 16, 2004. It was last officially observed on Feb. 21, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 211 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 HC:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 0.7891 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5987
  • Inclination: 28.99°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 202.98°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 159.38°
  • Mean Anomaly: 124.55°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.350 km
  • Magnitude: 19.96

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 256 days (0.70 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 33.53 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.26 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.32 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 276770 (2004 HC) 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 HC 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.