467917 (2011 OP24)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 467917 (2011 OP24)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
  • Will pass within 21,791,495 km of Earth in 2025
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

467917 (2011 OP24) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2011 OP24 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 OP24 orbits the sun every 508 days (1.39 years), coming as close as 0.54 AU and reaching as far as 1.95 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2011 OP24 is probably between 0.278 to 0.622 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

2011 OP24's orbit is 0.15 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 OP24 has 6 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Sept. 17, 2025 21,791,495 18.754
Sept. 21, 2050 25,807,119 15.959
Sept. 15, 2082 26,087,145 21.031
Sept. 20, 2107 22,519,416 17.669
Sept. 17, 2164 23,751,246 19.793
Sept. 21, 2189 23,582,504 17.163

Images and Observations

2011 OP24's orbit is determined by observations dating back to July 28, 2011. It was last officially observed on June 22, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 153 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 OP24:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.245 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5695
  • Inclination: 15.34°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 144.92°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 320.9°
  • Mean Anomaly: 156.38°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.359 km
  • Magnitude: 19.9

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 508 days (1.39 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 26.66 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.95 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.54 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 467917 (2011 OP24) 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 2011 OP24 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.