302831 (2003 FH)

Small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 302831 (2003 FH)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Will pass within 27,762,967 km of Earth in 2026
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

302831 (2003 FH) is a small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2003 FH as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2003 FH orbits the sun every 598 days (1.64 years), coming as close as 0.64 AU and reaching as far as 2.14 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2003 FH is probably between 0.399 to 0.891 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 FH has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 13.97 hours.

Close Approaches

2003 FH's orbit is 0.01 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 FH has 14 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
April 7, 2026 27,762,967 25.902
Oct. 26, 2029 16,858,435 24.052
April 8, 2044 23,214,476 25.086
Oct. 27, 2047 20,836,906 24.761
April 9, 2062 20,217,739 24.572
Oct. 28, 2065 23,909,246 25.291
April 11, 2080 14,873,561 23.658
April 14, 2098 5,445,301 22.003
April 13, 2116 10,650,215 22.911
April 9, 2134 27,358,340 25.783
Oct. 26, 2137 13,722,325 23.449
Oct. 23, 2155 6,258,059 21.704
Oct. 21, 2173 6,182,448 21.414
Oct. 20, 2191 8,721,789 20.540

Images and Observations

2003 FH's orbit is determined by observations dating back to March 23, 2003. It was last officially observed on Nov. 26, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 407 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 FH:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.389 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5406
  • Inclination: 25.8°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 24.12°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 274.37°
  • Mean Anomaly: 124.22°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.515 km
  • Magnitude: 19.12

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 598 days (1.64 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 25.27 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.14 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.64 AU
  • Rotation Period: 13.97 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 302831 (2003 FH) 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 2003 FH 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.