Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
  • Will pass within 27,878,094 km of Earth in 2106
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

31662 (1999 HP11) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 1999 HP11 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.

1999 HP11 orbits the sun every 738 days (2.02 years), coming as close as 0.72 AU and reaching as far as 2.47 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 1999 HP11 is probably between 0.329 to 0.735 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

1999 HP11's orbit is 0.13 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.

1999 HP11 has 3 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Oct. 10, 2106 27,878,094 16.173
Oct. 22, 2108 19,856,215 17.523
Nov. 1, 2110 22,417,967 19.961

Images and Observations

1999 HP11's orbit is determined by observations dating back to March 20, 1999. It was last officially observed on March 19, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 68 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 1999 HP11:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.598 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5478
  • Inclination: 18.82°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 13.95°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 312.04°
  • Mean Anomaly: 323.61°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.424 km
  • Magnitude: 19.54

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 738 days (2.02 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 23.56 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.47 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.72 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 31662 (1999 HP11) 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 1999 HP11 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.