389694 (2011 QD48)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 389694 (2011 QD48)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building (0.45 km diameter)
  • Will pass within 9,577,382 km of Earth in 2037
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

389694 (2011 QD48) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2011 QD48 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2011 QD48 orbits the sun every 702 days (1.92 years), coming as close as 0.79 AU and reaching as far as 2.30 AU from the sun. 2011 QD48 is about 0.5 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 90% of asteroids but tiny compared to large asteroids, comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building.

The rotation of 2011 QD48 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 5.24 hours.

Close Approaches

2011 QD48's orbit is 0.02 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.

2011 QD48 has 9 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
March 20, 2037 9,577,382 17.605
March 15, 2062 4,683,173 15.567
March 27, 2085 27,256,794 20.582
Oct. 14, 2088 29,332,067 17.655
March 12, 2110 13,828,784 14.162
March 22, 2133 10,069,798 17.692
March 6, 2158 24,682,423 12.820
Oct. 21, 2159 29,550,232 13.870
March 22, 2181 10,749,249 17.816

Images and Observations

2011 QD48's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Aug. 30, 2011. It was last officially observed on Sept. 17, 2019. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 729 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 2011 QD48:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.545 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4919
  • Inclination: 19.07°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 358.8°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 106.77°
  • Mean Anomaly: 11.48°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 0.45100 km
  • Magnitude: 18.2
  • Albedo: 0.456

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 702 days (1.92 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 23.94 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.30 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.79 AU
  • Rotation Period: 5.24 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 389694 (2011 QD48) 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 2011 QD48 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.