418135 (2008 AG33)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 418135 (2008 AG33)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
  • Will pass within 3,242,025 km of Earth in 2022
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

418135 (2008 AG33) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2008 AG33 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2008 AG33 orbits the sun every 644 days (1.76 years), coming as close as 0.97 AU and reaching as far as 1.95 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2008 AG33 is probably between 0.355 to 0.794 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

2008 AG33'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.

2008 AG33 has 6 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
April 28, 2022 3,242,025 10.390
May 3, 2059 4,136,003 10.755
May 12, 2089 16,721,678 12.086
April 15, 2112 15,691,313 10.163
April 26, 2142 5,308,097 10.282
May 9, 2179 11,209,672 11.412

Images and Observations

2008 AG33's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 27, 2003. It was last officially observed on July 5, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 145 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 2008 AG33:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.459 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.3367
  • Inclination: 16.01°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 38.29°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 155.54°
  • Mean Anomaly: 292.83°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.459 km
  • Magnitude: 19.37

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 644 days (1.76 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 24.65 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.95 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.97 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 418135 (2008 AG33) 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 2008 AG33 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.