436774 (2012 KY3)

Small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 436774 (2012 KY3)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Will pass within 4,783,565 km of Earth in 2023
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

436774 (2012 KY3) is a small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2012 KY3 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2012 KY3 orbits the sun every 499 days (1.37 years), coming as close as 0.63 AU and reaching as far as 1.83 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2012 KY3 is probably between 0.550 to 1.230 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than ~97% of asteroids but small compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge.

Close Approaches

2012 KY3'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.

2012 KY3 has 17 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
April 13, 2023 4,783,565 17.552
April 23, 2038 27,464,616 22.629
Sept. 30, 2040 24,552,858 22.039
Oct. 11, 2055 9,071,928 17.299
April 12, 2064 5,494,030 17.427
April 21, 2079 20,391,387 21.380
Oct. 7, 2096 7,934,868 18.720
April 9, 2105 19,029,154 15.274
Oct. 18, 2111 19,982,632 15.369
April 16, 2120 5,711,525 18.710
Oct. 5, 2137 15,316,870 20.374
April 6, 2146 25,988,425 14.336
Oct. 15, 2152 14,888,200 16.121
April 16, 2161 4,437,182 18.274
Oct. 5, 2178 16,844,111 20.671
April 6, 2187 26,928,650 14.227
Oct. 15, 2193 15,061,190 16.080

Images and Observations

2012 KY3's orbit is determined by observations dating back to May 16, 2012. It was last officially observed on May 13, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 199 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 2012 KY3:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.232 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4863
  • Inclination: 21.39°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 21.52°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 87.25°
  • Mean Anomaly: 150.5°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.710 km
  • Magnitude: 18.42

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 499 days (1.37 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 26.86 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.83 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.63 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 436774 (2012 KY3) 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 above comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 2012 KY3 to create an approximate landscape rendering with Mount Everest in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.