496901 (2001 HB)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 496901 (2001 HB)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 23,699,270 km of Earth in 2029
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

496901 (2001 HB) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2001 HB as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2001 HB orbits the sun every 550 days (1.51 years), coming as close as 0.40 AU and reaching as far as 2.23 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2001 HB is probably between 0.193 to 0.433 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2001 HB'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.

2001 HB has 14 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Aug. 6, 2029 23,699,270 24.831
Aug. 9, 2032 20,949,681 22.713
Aug. 13, 2035 23,199,642 20.717
Aug. 17, 2038 29,225,910 18.719
March 27, 2117 23,660,939 18.261
March 29, 2120 13,438,253 20.210
April 2, 2123 4,128,787 22.034
April 3, 2126 2,800,815 23.285
April 6, 2129 13,026,294 25.325
April 9, 2132 24,242,476 27.586
Aug. 7, 2151 25,593,692 25.716
Aug. 11, 2154 20,821,151 23.451
Aug. 14, 2157 21,621,632 21.277
Aug. 17, 2160 27,524,045 19.113

Images and Observations

2001 HB's orbit is determined by observations dating back to April 19, 1998. It was last officially observed on June 27, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 106 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 HB:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.314 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.6939
  • Inclination: 9.28°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 195.82°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 237.98°
  • Mean Anomaly: 358.39°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.250 km
  • Magnitude: 20.69

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 550 days (1.51 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 25.99 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.23 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.40 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 496901 (2001 HB) 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 HB 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.