504034 (2005 UJ159)

Mid-sized Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 504034 (2005 UJ159)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Will pass within 10,935,069 km of Earth in 2024
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

504034 (2005 UJ159) is a mid-sized asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2005 UJ159 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2005 UJ159 orbits the sun every 2,230 days (6.11 years), coming as close as 0.56 AU and reaching as far as 6.12 AU from the sun. Its orbit is highly elliptical. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2005 UJ159 is probably between 0.781 to 1.746 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge.

Close Approaches

2005 UJ159's orbit is 0.04 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.

2005 UJ159 has 6 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
June 16, 2024 10,935,069 31.815
Dec. 22, 2072 28,471,634 26.304
June 5, 2085 18,567,930 27.848
June 7, 2134 11,432,184 28.860
Dec. 9, 2164 28,981,185 33.743
June 16, 2177 18,726,471 32.820

Images and Observations

2005 UJ159's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 30, 2005. It was last officially observed on May 24, 2018. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 227 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 2005 UJ159:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 3.343 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.8317
  • Inclination: 35.59°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 80.28°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 95.77°
  • Mean Anomaly: 321.95°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~1.008 km
  • Magnitude: 17.66

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 2,230 days (6.11 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 16.31 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 6.12 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.56 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 504034 (2005 UJ159) 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 above comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 2005 UJ159 to create an approximate landscape rendering with Mount Everest in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.