488453 (1994 XD)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 488453 (1994 XD)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Will pass within 3,162,893 km of Earth in 2023
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

488453 (1994 XD) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 1994 XD as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

1994 XD orbits the sun every 1,310 days (3.59 years), coming as close as 0.62 AU and reaching as far as 4.06 AU from the sun. Its orbit is highly elliptical. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 1994 XD is probably between 0.375 to 0.840 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 90% of asteroids but tiny compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge.

The rotation of 1994 XD has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 2.74 hours.

Close Approaches

1994 XD's orbit is 0.02 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.

1994 XD has 9 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
June 12, 2023 3,162,893 21.472
June 13, 2041 2,294,928 21.030
Nov. 21, 2048 18,100,466 17.615
June 6, 2059 16,112,521 24.419
June 7, 2131 21,103,363 25.315
June 17, 2167 2,628,190 20.546
Dec. 3, 2174 2,793,701 21.123
June 27, 2185 23,635,344 16.710
Dec. 8, 2192 15,125,186 24.227

Images and Observations

1994 XD's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Dec. 2, 1994. It was last officially observed on June 13, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 632 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 1994 XD:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.344 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.7339
  • Inclination: 4.33°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 96.02°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 249.55°
  • Mean Anomaly: 12.85°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.485 km
  • Magnitude: 19.25

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,310 days (3.59 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 19.47 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 4.06 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.62 AU
  • Rotation Period: 2.74 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 488453 (1994 XD) 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 1994 XD 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.