Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 29,820,627 km of Earth in 2128
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

369986 (1998 SO) is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 1998 SO 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.

1998 SO orbits the sun every 229 days (0.63 years), coming as close as 0.22 AU and reaching as far as 1.24 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 1998 SO is probably between 0.208 to 0.466 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

1998 SO's orbit is 0.20 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.

1998 SO has 9 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Sept. 5, 2128 29,820,627 19.750
Sept. 5, 2133 29,601,818 19.947
Sept. 5, 2138 29,429,784 20.167
Sept. 5, 2143 29,348,173 20.343
Sept. 4, 2148 29,332,289 20.483
Sept. 4, 2153 29,348,327 20.613
Sept. 4, 2158 29,403,169 20.764
Sept. 4, 2163 29,504,647 20.960
Sept. 3, 2168 29,752,688 21.237

Images and Observations

1998 SO's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 16, 1998. It was last officially observed on Oct. 2, 2018. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 219 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 1998 SO:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 0.7315 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.6986
  • Inclination: 30.35°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 176.14°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 359.87°
  • Mean Anomaly: 167.18°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.269 km
  • Magnitude: 20.53

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 229 days (0.63 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 34.75 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.24 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.22 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 369986 (1998 SO) 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 1998 SO 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.