445974 (2013 BJ18)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 445974 (2013 BJ18)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 21,261,313 km of Earth in 2049
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

445974 (2013 BJ18) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2013 BJ18 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2013 BJ18 orbits the sun every 656 days (1.80 years), coming as close as 0.94 AU and reaching as far as 2.02 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2013 BJ18 is probably between 0.233 to 0.520 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 90% of asteroids but tiny compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2013 BJ18'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.

2013 BJ18 has 9 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
July 31, 2049 21,261,313 12.030
July 28, 2058 15,665,075 10.890
July 29, 2067 16,798,795 11.115
Aug. 2, 2076 24,070,014 12.591
April 7, 2132 23,676,225 12.233
April 13, 2141 15,296,761 10.291
April 15, 2150 13,068,575 9.763
April 11, 2159 17,611,245 10.871
April 5, 2168 28,608,927 13.274

Images and Observations

2013 BJ18's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Jan. 16, 2013. It was last officially observed on Aug. 23, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 100 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 2013 BJ18:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.478 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.364
  • Inclination: 3.71°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 90.82°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 159.61°
  • Mean Anomaly: 239.05°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.300 km
  • Magnitude: 20.29

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 656 days (1.80 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 24.51 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.02 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.94 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 445974 (2013 BJ18) 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 2013 BJ18 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.