452376 (2002 AC5)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 452376 (2002 AC5)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
  • Will pass within 10,543,343 km of Earth in 2022
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

452376 (2002 AC5) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2002 AC5 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2002 AC5 orbits the sun every 853 days (2.34 years), coming as close as 0.89 AU and reaching as far as 2.63 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2002 AC5 is probably between 0.269 to 0.603 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

2002 AC5'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.

2002 AC5 has 9 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Dec. 26, 2022 10,543,343 14.350
Dec. 29, 2029 14,435,431 15.001
Jan. 3, 2037 23,424,874 16.479
Nov. 11, 2160 29,784,723 12.522
Nov. 24, 2167 23,294,410 12.423
Dec. 4, 2174 17,210,530 12.457
Dec. 10, 2181 12,704,024 12.635
Dec. 14, 2188 9,791,383 12.873
Dec. 17, 2195 8,963,734 13.009

Images and Observations

2002 AC5's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Jan. 8, 2002. It was last officially observed on March 9, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 135 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 2002 AC5:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.76 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4937
  • Inclination: 16.54°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 82.37°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 331.7°
  • Mean Anomaly: 121.67°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.348 km
  • Magnitude: 19.97

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 853 days (2.34 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 22.45 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.63 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.89 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 452376 (2002 AC5) 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 2002 AC5 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.