297274 (1996 SK)

Mid-sized Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 297274 (1996 SK)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Pentagon (1.20 km diameter)
  • Will pass within 28,639,995 km of Earth in 2110
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

297274 (1996 SK) is a mid-sized asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 1996 SK as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

1996 SK orbits the sun every 1,400 days (3.83 years), coming as close as 0.51 AU and reaching as far as 4.38 AU from the sun. Its orbit is highly elliptical. 1996 SK is about 1.2 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the U.S. Pentagon.

The rotation of 1996 SK has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 4.65 hours.

Close Approaches

1996 SK'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.

1996 SK has 3 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Nov. 1, 2110 28,639,995 25.020
April 22, 2119 25,664,197 24.232
Nov. 12, 2143 9,877,428 19.823

Images and Observations

1996 SK's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 13, 1996. It was last officially observed on Sept. 6, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 469 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 1996 SK:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.445 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.7903
  • Inclination: 1.97°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 195.52°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 286.32°
  • Mean Anomaly: 10.49°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 1.19900 km
  • Magnitude: 16.93
  • Albedo: 0.234

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,400 days (3.83 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 19.00 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 4.38 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.51 AU
  • Rotation Period: 4.65 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 297274 (1996 SK) 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 1996 SK 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.