401856 (2000 KW43)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 401856 (2000 KW43)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 28,512,768 km of Earth in 2120
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

401856 (2000 KW43) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2000 KW43 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2000 KW43 orbits the sun every 639 days (1.75 years), coming as close as 0.76 AU and reaching as far as 2.15 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2000 KW43 is probably between 0.235 to 0.525 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 90% of asteroids but tiny compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2000 KW43's orbit is 0.05 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.

2000 KW43 has 7 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Nov. 30, 2120 28,512,768 22.427
Dec. 3, 2127 24,483,452 21.782
Dec. 4, 2134 21,689,009 21.325
Dec. 4, 2141 20,673,778 21.149
Dec. 3, 2148 21,975,543 21.377
Dec. 3, 2155 24,540,016 21.783
Dec. 1, 2162 28,373,624 22.433

Images and Observations

2000 KW43's orbit is determined by observations dating back to May 29, 2000. It was last officially observed on June 30, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 257 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 2000 KW43:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.452 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4779
  • Inclination: 24.27°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 82.63°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 63.61°
  • Mean Anomaly: 153.39°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.303 km
  • Magnitude: 20.27

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 639 days (1.75 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 24.72 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.15 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.76 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 401856 (2000 KW43) 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 2000 KW43 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.