415713 (1998 XX2)

Very small Aten-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Aten-class Asteroids » 415713 (1998 XX2)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
  • Will pass within 11,538,802 km of Earth in 2021
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

415713 (1998 XX2) is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 1998 XX2 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

1998 XX2 orbits the sun every 233 days (0.64 years), coming as close as 0.47 AU and reaching as far as 1.01 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 1998 XX2 is probably between 0.266 to 0.594 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 90% of asteroids but tiny compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building.

Close Approaches

1998 XX2'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.

1998 XX2 has 30 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Dec. 4, 2021 11,538,802 10.329
Nov. 28, 2028 3,027,139 7.746
Nov. 3, 2035 11,213,403 7.542
Oct. 21, 2042 22,021,170 11.092
Dec. 4, 2044 26,150,766 13.565
Dec. 3, 2051 5,415,679 8.977
Nov. 20, 2058 6,647,837 7.273
Oct. 28, 2065 12,609,177 8.039
Oct. 20, 2072 23,882,714 11.615
Dec. 4, 2074 25,016,631 13.297
Dec. 4, 2081 8,286,404 9.579
Nov. 26, 2088 3,419,109 7.615
Nov. 3, 2095 11,048,012 7.567
Oct. 22, 2102 21,801,072 11.014
Dec. 5, 2104 26,743,307 13.671
Dec. 5, 2111 7,172,040 9.327
Nov. 25, 2118 4,843,244 7.400
Nov. 1, 2125 11,766,885 7.806
Oct. 22, 2132 22,616,988 11.233
Dec. 5, 2134 26,481,646 13.591
Dec. 5, 2141 7,767,531 9.442
Nov. 24, 2148 5,027,051 7.370
Oct. 30, 2155 12,400,024 8.034
Oct. 22, 2162 24,963,054 11.872
Dec. 5, 2164 23,358,105 12.881
Dec. 5, 2171 5,280,665 8.901
Nov. 24, 2178 5,213,057 7.345
Oct. 30, 2185 12,184,732 7.994
Oct. 22, 2192 24,696,967 11.797
Dec. 6, 2194 23,563,758 12.923

Images and Observations

1998 XX2's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Dec. 8, 1998. It was last officially observed on Nov. 27, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 428 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 XX2:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 0.7411 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.3676
  • Inclination: 6.97°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 74.38°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 153.1°
  • Mean Anomaly: 155.47°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.343 km
  • Magnitude: 20.0

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 233 days (0.64 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 34.60 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.01 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.47 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 415713 (1998 XX2) 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 XX2 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.