458732 (2011 MD5)

Small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 458732 (2011 MD5)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Will pass within 11,347,571 km of Earth in 2023
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

458732 (2011 MD5) is a small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2011 MD5 as a "Near Earth Asteroid" due to its orbit's proximity to Earth, but it is not considered potentially hazardous because computer simulations have not indicated any imminent likelihood of future collision.

2011 MD5 orbits the sun every 1,430 days (3.92 years), coming as close as 0.99 AU and reaching as far as 3.99 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2011 MD5 is probably between 0.696 to 1.556 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

2011 MD5's orbit is 0.06 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 MD5 has 5 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Sept. 22, 2023 11,347,571 12.081
Oct. 8, 2066 14,526,595 10.073
Nov. 17, 2120 24,882,356 10.592
Sept. 4, 2147 25,485,748 17.365
Oct. 7, 2174 13,786,500 10.154

Images and Observations

2011 MD5's orbit is determined by observations dating back to June 30, 2011. It was last officially observed on Aug. 8, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 416 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 MD5:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.487 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.6033
  • Inclination: 10.56°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 170.34°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 224.85°
  • Mean Anomaly: 350.68°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.898 km
  • Magnitude: 17.91

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,430 days (3.92 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 18.92 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.99 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.99 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 458732 (2011 MD5) 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 MD5 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.