363116 (2001 GQ2)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 363116 (2001 GQ2)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 24,726,372 km of Earth in 2065
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

363116 (2001 GQ2) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2001 GQ2 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2001 GQ2 orbits the sun every 489 days (1.34 years), coming as close as 0.60 AU and reaching as far as 1.82 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2001 GQ2 is probably between 0.229 to 0.513 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2001 GQ2's orbit is 0.01 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.

2001 GQ2 has 18 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Nov. 3, 2065 24,726,372 16.788
Nov. 8, 2069 17,172,542 18.424
Nov. 13, 2073 15,730,307 20.214
Nov. 17, 2077 21,736,168 22.214
April 18, 2088 29,490,575 24.503
April 21, 2092 18,812,775 22.571
April 24, 2096 8,800,321 20.822
April 27, 2100 508,724 19.447
April 22, 2104 18,736,752 22.565
Nov. 17, 2113 19,612,271 21.473
Nov. 9, 2117 18,473,427 18.295
May 5, 2157 25,502,360 15.428
April 30, 2161 6,854,795 18.215
April 25, 2165 8,950,750 20.838
April 20, 2169 26,653,931 23.980
Nov. 18, 2178 19,541,481 21.379
Nov. 11, 2182 17,517,536 18.755
Nov. 3, 2186 27,715,541 16.512

Images and Observations

2001 GQ2's orbit is determined by observations dating back to April 14, 2001. It was last officially observed on May 5, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 593 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 2001 GQ2:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.214 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.503
  • Inclination: 21.82°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 37.11°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 280.31°
  • Mean Anomaly: 218.57°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.296 km
  • Magnitude: 20.32

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 489 days (1.34 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 27.01 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.82 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.60 AU

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

⧉

Sky Map

The position of 363116 (2001 GQ2) 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 2001 GQ2 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.