418900 (2009 BE2)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

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Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 418900 (2009 BE2)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Will pass within 15,327,630 km of Earth in 2019
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

418900 (2009 BE2) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2009 BE2 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.

2009 BE2 orbits the sun every 711 days (1.95 years), coming as close as 1.01 AU and reaching as far as 2.11 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2009 BE2 is probably between 0.384 to 0.859 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 90% of asteroids but tiny compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge.

Close Approaches

2009 BE2'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.

2009 BE2 has 6 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
June 26, 2019 15,327,630 15.197
June 28, 2056 23,857,721 16.231
June 12, 2058 27,856,988 12.881
June 16, 2095 18,280,906 13.145
June 17, 2132 15,742,402 13.265
June 16, 2169 21,189,764 13.052

Images and Observations

2009 BE2's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Jan. 16, 2009. It was last officially observed on May 9, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 330 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 2009 BE2:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.56 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.3535
  • Inclination: 23.43°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 93.08°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 138.27°
  • Mean Anomaly: 76.57°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.496 km
  • Magnitude: 19.2

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 711 days (1.95 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 23.87 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.11 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.01 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 418900 (2009 BE2) 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 2009 BE2 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.