462550 (2009 CB3)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 462550 (2009 CB3)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
  • Will pass within 11,269,213 km of Earth in 2021
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

462550 (2009 CB3) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2009 CB3 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2009 CB3 orbits the sun every 401 days (1.10 years), coming as close as 0.29 AU and reaching as far as 1.84 AU from the sun. Its orbit is highly elliptical. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2009 CB3 is probably between 0.315 to 0.705 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

2009 CB3'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.

2009 CB3 has 13 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
March 3, 2021 11,269,213 27.572
March 1, 2032 2,393,191 25.740
March 1, 2043 2,178,987 25.655
March 3, 2054 8,143,508 26.960
March 5, 2065 18,322,816 29.005
March 8, 2076 29,178,112 31.228
Feb. 26, 2108 24,595,854 21.136
Feb. 28, 2119 13,745,566 22.979
March 1, 2130 5,031,088 24.639
March 2, 2141 2,527,195 25.471
March 3, 2152 6,102,492 26.522
March 7, 2163 15,912,048 28.524
March 10, 2174 27,919,582 30.979

Images and Observations

2009 CB3's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Feb. 4, 2009. It was last officially observed on April 17, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 249 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 2009 CB3:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.065 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.7237
  • Inclination: 21.51°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 158.74°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 229.51°
  • Mean Anomaly: 149.35°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.407 km
  • Magnitude: 19.63

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 401 days (1.10 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 28.89 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.84 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.29 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 462550 (2009 CB3) 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 2009 CB3 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.