438661 (2008 EP6)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 438661 (2008 EP6)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
  • Will pass within 13,823,414 km of Earth in 2020
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

438661 (2008 EP6) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2008 EP6 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2008 EP6 orbits the sun every 486 days (1.33 years), coming as close as 0.85 AU and reaching as far as 1.56 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2008 EP6 is probably between 0.370 to 0.828 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 EP6's orbit is 0.05 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 EP6 has 11 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Jan. 20, 2020 13,823,414 11.108
Jan. 10, 2024 23,088,553 10.713
Feb. 10, 2097 27,885,460 15.649
Feb. 6, 2101 16,000,761 13.806
Jan. 31, 2105 8,150,804 12.488
Jan. 26, 2109 8,535,160 11.654
Jan. 19, 2113 15,472,522 11.017
Jan. 9, 2117 24,494,825 10.712
Feb. 7, 2190 17,689,146 14.042
Jan. 31, 2194 8,129,464 12.433
Jan. 24, 2198 10,593,820 11.432

Images and Observations

2008 EP6's orbit is determined by observations dating back to March 5, 2008. It was last officially observed on Aug. 7, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 198 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 EP6:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.209 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.2933
  • Inclination: 17.72°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 303.24°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 130.31°
  • Mean Anomaly: 295.24°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.478 km
  • Magnitude: 19.28

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 486 days (1.33 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 27.06 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.56 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.85 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 438661 (2008 EP6) 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 EP6 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.