476601 (2008 SE85)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 476601 (2008 SE85)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
  • Will pass within 13,015,528 km of Earth in 2069
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

476601 (2008 SE85) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2008 SE85 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2008 SE85 orbits the sun every 757 days (2.07 years), coming as close as 0.77 AU and reaching as far as 2.48 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2008 SE85 is probably between 0.291 to 0.652 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

2008 SE85'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.

2008 SE85 has 4 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
March 14, 2069 13,015,528 19.382
March 18, 2098 5,754,233 20.291
March 14, 2127 16,695,198 19.029
March 26, 2187 14,836,870 22.626

Images and Observations

2008 SE85's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 28, 2008. It was last officially observed on Aug. 30, 2016. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 128 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 2008 SE85:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.626 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5249
  • Inclination: 29.61°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 177.43°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 294.89°
  • Mean Anomaly: 38.79°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.376 km
  • Magnitude: 19.8

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 757 days (2.07 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 23.37 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.48 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.77 AU

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

⧉

Sky Map

The position of 476601 (2008 SE85) 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 2008 SE85 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.