480858 (2001 PT9)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 480858 (2001 PT9)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 12,722,969 km of Earth in 2026
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

480858 (2001 PT9) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2001 PT9 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2001 PT9 orbits the sun every 650 days (1.78 years), coming as close as 0.80 AU and reaching as far as 2.14 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2001 PT9 is probably between 0.171 to 0.382 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2001 PT9'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.

2001 PT9 has 16 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
March 10, 2026 12,722,969 10.652
July 31, 2033 10,844,773 14.151
April 10, 2042 29,593,178 9.645
Feb. 22, 2067 26,166,709 17.900
July 5, 2074 25,378,960 8.972
March 4, 2083 4,600,867 12.824
July 28, 2090 8,149,888 12.591
March 25, 2099 23,297,027 9.188
Aug. 8, 2106 24,627,777 17.309
June 27, 2131 28,766,083 9.174
March 3, 2140 6,386,447 13.682
July 24, 2147 13,112,601 10.840
March 8, 2156 7,994,499 11.698
July 31, 2163 7,830,129 13.127
April 1, 2172 25,874,403 9.196
Aug. 10, 2179 26,631,703 17.739

Images and Observations

2001 PT9's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Aug. 11, 2001. It was last officially observed on Sept. 13, 2017. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 315 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 2001 PT9:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.468 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.455
  • Inclination: 7.18°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 329.99°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 261.6°
  • Mean Anomaly: 190.35°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.221 km
  • Magnitude: 20.96

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 650 days (1.78 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 24.57 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.14 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.80 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 480858 (2001 PT9) 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 2001 PT9 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.