438955 (2010 LN14)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 438955 (2010 LN14)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 28,351,068 km of Earth in 2043
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

438955 (2010 LN14) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2010 LN14 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2010 LN14 orbits the sun every 453 days (1.24 years), coming as close as 0.61 AU and reaching as far as 1.70 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2010 LN14 is probably between 0.167 to 0.373 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

The rotation of 2010 LN14 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 3.84 hours.

Close Approaches

2010 LN14'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.

2010 LN14 has 22 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Jan. 26, 2043 28,351,068 20.401
June 22, 2046 4,442,131 15.170
Jan. 16, 2048 6,589,299 13.443
June 26, 2072 10,422,892 12.739
Jan. 19, 2074 6,397,276 15.827
June 15, 2077 26,180,557 19.789
June 29, 2103 15,120,167 11.788
Jan. 22, 2105 11,308,356 16.899
June 17, 2108 22,348,432 18.989
Jan. 10, 2110 26,755,127 9.268
June 27, 2139 5,934,138 13.727
Jan. 20, 2141 4,935,626 15.534
June 19, 2144 19,305,943 18.401
Jan. 13, 2146 19,140,276 10.837
July 2, 2180 23,102,409 10.189
Jan. 26, 2182 24,588,152 19.634
June 26, 2185 3,894,324 14.327
Jan. 21, 2187 4,665,816 15.490
June 22, 2190 13,044,451 17.148
Jan. 17, 2192 10,075,633 12.691
June 17, 2195 29,433,838 20.434
Jan. 10, 2197 28,519,831 8.914

Images and Observations

2010 LN14's orbit is determined by observations dating back to June 6, 2010. It was last officially observed on March 21, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 276 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 2010 LN14:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.154 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4746
  • Inclination: 1.47°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 342.97°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 33.25°
  • Mean Anomaly: 180.64°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.216 km
  • Magnitude: 21.01

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 453 days (1.24 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 27.71 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.70 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.61 AU
  • Rotation Period: 3.84 hours

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

⧉

Sky Map

The position of 438955 (2010 LN14) 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 2010 LN14 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.