468005 (2012 XD112)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 468005 (2012 XD112)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 14,660,835 km of Earth in 2019
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

468005 (2012 XD112) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2012 XD112 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2012 XD112 orbits the sun every 556 days (1.52 years), coming as close as 0.84 AU and reaching as far as 1.81 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2012 XD112 is probably between 0.101 to 0.452 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2012 XD112'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.

2012 XD112 has 19 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
May 11, 2019 14,660,835 7.175
June 6, 2022 25,484,097 14.476
Jan. 10, 2048 3,926,090 10.282
Feb. 25, 2051 22,814,567 7.734
April 25, 2054 20,274,203 7.138
May 31, 2057 10,884,964 11.457
Dec. 31, 2085 25,282,897 14.664
Jan. 21, 2089 11,179,369 7.584
March 28, 2092 24,701,721 7.988
May 26, 2095 5,388,138 9.371
Jan. 2, 2124 24,144,289 14.434
Jan. 25, 2127 12,141,874 7.438
April 2, 2130 24,445,275 7.905
May 28, 2133 5,445,890 9.885
Jan. 20, 2162 8,852,655 7.977
April 4, 2165 24,225,089 7.860
June 1, 2168 9,240,118 11.083
Jan. 29, 2194 14,189,213 7.196
April 22, 2197 21,108,907 7.255

Images and Observations

2012 XD112's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Dec. 10, 2012. It was last officially observed on June 16, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 323 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

2012 XD112 can be reached with a journey of 394 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 11.654 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 20 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2012 XD112.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2012 XD112:

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.323 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.3658
  • Inclination: 3.72°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 97.77°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 76.81°
  • Mean Anomaly: 335.8°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.277 km
  • Magnitude: 21.18

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 556 days (1.52 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 25.89 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.81 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.84 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 468005 (2012 XD112) 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 2012 XD112 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.