Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Amor-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to Mount Everest (1.60 km diameter)
  • Will pass within 29,412,621 km of Earth in 2082
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

Krok is a mid-sized asteroid whose orbit approaches the orbit of Earth but does not cross it. NASA JPL has classified Krok 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.

Krok orbits the sun every 1,150 days (3.15 years), coming as close as 1.18 AU and reaching as far as 3.12 AU from the sun. Krok is about 1.6 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to Mount Everest.

The rotation of Krok has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 149.40 hours.

Krok's spectral type QRS (Tholen) / S (SMASSII) indicates that it is likely to contain and .

Close Approaches

Krok's orbit is 0.18 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.

Krok has 2 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Aug. 27, 2082 29,412,621 6.205
Aug. 29, 2183 29,576,626 6.182

Images and Observations

Krok's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Aug. 21, 1981. It was last officially observed on Jan. 14, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 2,340 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 Krok:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.151 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4496
  • Inclination: 8.44°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 172.05°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 154.79°
  • Mean Anomaly: 116.76°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 1.60000 km
  • Magnitude: 16.17
  • Spectral type (Tholen): QRS
  • Spectral type (SMASS): S

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,150 days (3.15 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 20.35 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.12 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.18 AU
  • Rotation Period: 149.40 hours
  • Approx. Composition: and .

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Krok 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 Krok 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.