467336 (2002 LT38)

Very small Aten-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Aten-class Asteroids » 467336 (2002 LT38)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
  • Will pass within 6,657,949 km of Earth in 2023
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

467336 (2002 LT38) is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2002 LT38 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2002 LT38 orbits the sun every 284 days (0.78 years), coming as close as 0.58 AU and reaching as far as 1.11 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2002 LT38 is probably between 0.131 to 0.585 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.

The rotation of 2002 LT38 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 21.80 hours.

Close Approaches

2002 LT38'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.

2002 LT38 has 30 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
June 24, 2023 6,657,949 7.148
June 27, 2030 5,156,000 7.807
June 29, 2037 7,230,293 8.742
June 30, 2044 16,274,342 10.814
April 13, 2047 23,304,944 11.359
June 29, 2051 27,653,018 13.259
April 13, 2054 15,307,658 8.966
April 19, 2061 13,171,414 7.118
May 2, 2068 14,880,605 6.575
May 19, 2075 15,732,432 6.585
June 3, 2082 14,155,750 6.575
June 16, 2089 10,228,146 6.684
June 25, 2096 6,162,476 7.309
June 30, 2103 5,654,071 8.135
July 1, 2110 12,033,275 9.865
April 14, 2113 27,612,137 12.492
July 1, 2117 22,517,683 12.153
April 13, 2120 18,118,544 9.988
April 16, 2127 13,046,471 7.836
April 26, 2134 13,706,504 6.726
May 12, 2141 15,516,594 6.565
May 28, 2148 15,136,176 6.581
June 13, 2155 12,099,333 6.586
June 23, 2162 8,066,170 6.932
June 28, 2169 5,679,483 7.598
June 30, 2176 6,728,640 8.497
July 2, 2183 14,333,110 10.352
April 14, 2186 24,825,309 11.846
June 30, 2190 25,735,277 12.840
April 14, 2193 15,884,104 9.357

Images and Observations

2002 LT38's orbit is determined by observations dating back to June 10, 2002. It was last officially observed on July 8, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 807 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

2002 LT38 can be reached with a journey of 354 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 10.757 km/s. To put this into perspective, the delta-v to launch a rocket to Low-Earth Orbit is 9.7 km/s. There are 2,146 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2002 LT38.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2002 LT38:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 0.8453 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.3138
  • Inclination: 6.18°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 259.28°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 162.77°
  • Mean Anomaly: 333.44°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.358 km
  • Magnitude: 20.62

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 284 days (0.78 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 32.38 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.11 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.58 AU
  • Rotation Period: 21.80 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 467336 (2002 LT38) 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 LT38 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.