38239 (1999 OR3)

Small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 38239 (1999 OR3)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Will pass within 18,398,302 km of Earth in 2031
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

38239 (1999 OR3) is a small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 1999 OR3 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.

1999 OR3 orbits the sun every 1,060 days (2.90 years), coming as close as 0.86 AU and reaching as far as 3.21 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 1999 OR3 is probably between 0.592 to 1.324 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

1999 OR3's orbit is 0.06 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.

1999 OR3 has 9 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
April 16, 2031 18,398,302 11.780
May 5, 2060 26,040,668 12.203
May 26, 2086 28,191,906 12.082
June 8, 2112 27,250,494 11.732
May 13, 2141 25,535,119 11.851
June 17, 2170 26,237,620 11.533
March 8, 2173 27,577,670 18.854
July 10, 2196 24,413,243 13.825
March 15, 2199 13,850,412 16.150

Images and Observations

1999 OR3's orbit is determined by observations dating back to July 27, 1999. It was last officially observed on Jan. 11, 2019. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 183 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 1999 OR3:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.037 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5756
  • Inclination: 9.44°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 199.94°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 28.18°
  • Mean Anomaly: 134.02°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.765 km
  • Magnitude: 18.26

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,060 days (2.90 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 20.91 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.21 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.86 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 38239 (1999 OR3) 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 1999 OR3 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.