453778 (2011 JK)

Small Amor-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Amor-class Asteroids » 453778 (2011 JK)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Amor-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Will pass within 19,427,132 km of Earth in 2019
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

453778 (2011 JK) is a small asteroid whose orbit approaches the orbit of Earth but does not cross it. NASA JPL has classified 2011 JK as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2011 JK orbits the sun every 965 days (2.64 years), coming as close as 1.02 AU and reaching as far as 2.80 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2011 JK is probably between 0.525 to 1.175 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.

The rotation of 2011 JK has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 2.46 hours.

Close Approaches

2011 JK'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.

2011 JK has 5 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
May 24, 2019 19,427,132 9.349
April 28, 2056 5,918,139 7.123
April 8, 2101 7,383,886 8.111
May 30, 2130 22,319,441 10.071
May 12, 2167 10,133,430 7.470

Images and Observations

2011 JK's orbit is determined by observations dating back to May 1, 2011. It was last officially observed on Oct. 2, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 914 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 2011 JK:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.912 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4643
  • Inclination: 6.7°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 203.32°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 11.04°
  • Mean Anomaly: 233.68°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.678 km
  • Magnitude: 18.52

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 965 days (2.64 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 21.56 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.80 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.02 AU
  • Rotation Period: 2.46 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 453778 (2011 JK) 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 2011 JK 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.