349507 (2008 QY)

Small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 349507 (2008 QY)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Will pass within 6,324,978 km of Earth in 2023
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

349507 (2008 QY) is a small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2008 QY as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2008 QY orbits the sun every 461 days (1.26 years), coming as close as 0.49 AU and reaching as far as 1.85 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2008 QY is probably between 0.521 to 1.164 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.

Close Approaches

2008 QY's orbit is 0.03 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.

2008 QY has 16 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Oct. 3, 2023 6,324,978 20.960
Feb. 20, 2041 20,549,651 18.960
Sept. 28, 2047 16,069,196 17.280
Oct. 9, 2052 24,825,303 24.865
Feb. 22, 2070 22,214,192 18.071
Sept. 27, 2076 17,259,087 17.051
Oct. 8, 2081 20,675,934 24.025
Feb. 19, 2099 19,476,047 19.781
Sept. 27, 2105 21,771,913 16.204
Oct. 9, 2110 19,963,831 23.862
Feb. 26, 2128 24,762,498 17.166
Oct. 2, 2134 7,092,368 19.222
Feb. 15, 2152 23,544,525 22.735
Oct. 4, 2163 5,380,812 20.131
Feb. 15, 2181 23,741,273 22.858
Oct. 3, 2192 5,638,560 19.959

Images and Observations

2008 QY's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 30, 1989. It was last officially observed on Feb. 13, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 525 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 2008 QY:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.168 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5815
  • Inclination: 13.58°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 1.94°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 254.83°
  • Mean Anomaly: 26.05°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.672 km
  • Magnitude: 18.54

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 461 days (1.26 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 27.56 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.85 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.49 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 349507 (2008 QY) 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 2008 QY 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.