440212 (2004 OB)

Small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 440212 (2004 OB)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Will pass within 2,242,674 km of Earth in 2028
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

440212 (2004 OB) is a small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2004 OB as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2004 OB orbits the sun every 796 days (2.18 years), coming as close as 0.96 AU and reaching as far as 2.40 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2004 OB is probably between 0.429 to 0.959 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

2004 OB's orbit is 0.01 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.

2004 OB has 7 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Sept. 30, 2028 2,242,674 7.359
Dec. 6, 2052 12,009,806 9.047
Sept. 12, 2063 16,670,654 11.001
Nov. 19, 2087 8,005,690 6.922
Oct. 22, 2122 7,035,532 6.611
Nov. 3, 2157 8,026,648 6.570
Nov. 28, 2192 8,180,771 7.373

Images and Observations

2004 OB's orbit is determined by observations dating back to March 31, 2003. It was last officially observed on July 4, 2019. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 739 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 2004 OB:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.681 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4303
  • Inclination: 3.44°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 174.53°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 223.33°
  • Mean Anomaly: 234.38°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.554 km
  • Magnitude: 18.96

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 796 days (2.18 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 22.97 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.40 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.96 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 440212 (2004 OB) 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 2004 OB 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.