504680 (2009 EO2)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 504680 (2009 EO2)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
  • Will pass within 22,047,206 km of Earth in 2026
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

504680 (2009 EO2) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2009 EO2 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2009 EO2 orbits the sun every 818 days (2.24 years), coming as close as 0.89 AU and reaching as far as 2.53 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2009 EO2 is probably between 0.294 to 0.658 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

2009 EO2'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.

2009 EO2 has 8 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Nov. 30, 2026 22,047,206 15.458
Jan. 23, 2065 24,017,004 9.812
Dec. 9, 2073 5,821,437 12.569
Feb. 19, 2103 28,230,998 9.583
Dec. 11, 2111 6,329,655 12.666
Dec. 17, 2140 3,388,670 11.202
Feb. 9, 2179 27,211,219 9.620
Dec. 14, 2187 2,414,950 12.047

Images and Observations

2009 EO2's orbit is determined by observations dating back to March 5, 2009. It was last officially observed on Dec. 21, 2017. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 179 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 2009 EO2:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.712 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4807
  • Inclination: 11.48°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 264.64°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 220.62°
  • Mean Anomaly: 186.75°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.380 km
  • Magnitude: 19.78

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 818 days (2.24 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 22.77 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.53 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.89 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 504680 (2009 EO2) 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 2009 EO2 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.