434096 (2002 GO5)

Small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 434096 (2002 GO5)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge (0.53 km diameter)
  • Will pass within 15,609,078 km of Earth in 2049
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

434096 (2002 GO5) is a small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2002 GO5 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2002 GO5 orbits the sun every 953 days (2.61 years), coming as close as 0.44 AU and reaching as far as 3.35 AU from the sun. Its orbit is highly elliptical. 2002 GO5 is about 0.5 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than ~97% of asteroids but small compared to large asteroids, comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge.

Close Approaches

2002 GO5's orbit is 0.03 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.

2002 GO5 has 6 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
April 10, 2049 15,609,078 28.355
Sept. 8, 2085 21,636,124 24.732
April 8, 2104 8,496,954 26.949
Sept. 13, 2140 23,552,332 22.926
Sept. 15, 2161 27,359,078 21.796
Sept. 18, 2182 29,784,193 21.062

Images and Observations

2002 GO5's orbit is determined by observations dating back to April 11, 2002. It was last officially observed on June 14, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 263 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 2002 GO5:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.896 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.7677
  • Inclination: 13.77°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 22.62°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 65.33°
  • Mean Anomaly: 93.76°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 0.52800 km
  • Magnitude: 18.15
  • Albedo: 0.431

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 953 days (2.61 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 21.64 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.35 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.44 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 434096 (2002 GO5) 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 2002 GO5 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.