368203 (2001 KO2)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 368203 (2001 KO2)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 13,191,427 km of Earth in 2048
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

368203 (2001 KO2) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2001 KO2 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2001 KO2 orbits the sun every 1,430 days (3.92 years), coming as close as 0.95 AU and reaching as far as 4.02 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2001 KO2 is probably between 0.205 to 0.459 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2001 KO2's orbit is 0.00 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.

2001 KO2 has 4 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
June 7, 2048 13,191,427 15.382
May 16, 2075 12,511,254 12.651
June 17, 2098 25,370,674 17.867
June 9, 2125 14,348,015 15.525

Images and Observations

2001 KO2's orbit is determined by observations dating back to May 21, 2001. It was last officially observed on Aug. 2, 2013. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 122 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 KO2:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.485 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.617
  • Inclination: 12.43°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 242.31°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 328.64°
  • Mean Anomaly: 238.69°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.265 km
  • Magnitude: 20.56

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,430 days (3.92 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 18.91 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 4.02 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.95 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 368203 (2001 KO2) 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 KO2 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.