Key Facts
- Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
- Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge (0.70 km diameter)
- Will pass within 16,715,503 km of Earth in 2044
- Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
- Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
- See orbit simulation
Overview
Khufu is a small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified Khufu as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.
Khufu orbits the sun every 360 days (0.99 years), coming as close as 0.53 AU and reaching as far as 1.45 AU from the sun. Khufu is about 0.7 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than ~97% of asteroids but small compared to large asteroids, comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge.
Close Approaches
Khufu'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.
Khufu has 20 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
| Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
|---|---|---|
| Aug. 24, 2044 | 16,715,503 | 18.440 |
| Aug. 22, 2045 | 3,165,830 | 15.719 |
| Aug. 20, 2046 | 10,582,562 | 13.324 |
| Aug. 20, 2047 | 23,511,612 | 11.261 |
| Dec. 28, 2064 | 22,990,569 | 13.568 |
| Dec. 24, 2065 | 22,860,636 | 16.377 |
| Aug. 28, 2107 | 20,671,669 | 19.226 |
| Aug. 23, 2108 | 6,723,667 | 16.456 |
| Aug. 21, 2109 | 7,223,077 | 13.925 |
| Aug. 21, 2110 | 21,000,703 | 11.607 |
| Dec. 31, 2126 | 23,756,329 | 13.106 |
| Dec. 26, 2127 | 22,401,848 | 16.084 |
| Dec. 21, 2128 | 29,804,220 | 19.111 |
| Aug. 30, 2167 | 27,909,972 | 20.663 |
| Aug. 25, 2168 | 13,580,309 | 17.804 |
| Aug. 23, 2169 | 1,684,323 | 15.124 |
| Aug. 21, 2170 | 15,616,768 | 12.454 |
| Jan. 3, 2186 | 28,387,346 | 11.457 |
| Dec. 29, 2186 | 21,938,363 | 14.486 |
| Dec. 24, 2187 | 25,302,675 | 17.586 |
Images and Observations
Khufu's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Aug. 30, 1984. It was last officially observed on Nov. 27, 2004. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 262 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 Khufu:References
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or view a random objectOrbital Elements
- Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
- Semi-major axis: 0.9895 AU
- Eccentricity: 0.4686
- Inclination: 9.92°
- Longitude of Ascending Node: 152.42°
- Argument of Periapsis: 55.07°
- Mean Anomaly: 319.35°
Physical Characteristics
- Diameter: 0.70000 km
- Magnitude: 18.52
- Albedo: 0.21
Derived Characteristics
- Orbit Period: 360 days (0.99 years)
- Avg. Orbit Speed: 29.90 km/s
- Aphelion Distance: 1.45 AU
- Perihelion Distance: 0.53 AU
Map Comparison
Orbit Simulation
Sky Map
The position of Khufu 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 Khufu 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.
