508908 (2003 YX1)

Very small Aten-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Aten-class Asteroids » 508908 (2003 YX1)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 18,119,049 km of Earth in 2023
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

508908 (2003 YX1) is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2003 YX1 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2003 YX1 orbits the sun every 301 days (0.82 years), coming as close as 0.64 AU and reaching as far as 1.11 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2003 YX1 is probably between 0.112 to 0.502 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 90% of asteroids but tiny compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2003 YX1'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.

2003 YX1 has 30 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Jan. 9, 2023 18,119,049 6.294
March 20, 2028 15,484,280 6.822
Dec. 16, 2036 4,693,539 7.259
March 3, 2042 19,674,009 5.912
Dec. 14, 2050 2,719,196 8.474
Jan. 21, 2056 21,305,746 6.439
March 19, 2061 16,498,167 6.386
Dec. 15, 2069 14,213,776 10.836
Jan. 14, 2075 19,850,186 6.372
March 17, 2080 17,063,271 6.190
Dec. 15, 2088 18,929,733 11.833
Dec. 29, 2093 14,559,978 6.239
Feb. 25, 2099 21,233,550 6.019
March 23, 2104 20,261,981 10.469
Dec. 15, 2112 5,882,498 9.172
Jan. 2, 2118 16,226,432 6.245
Feb. 16, 2123 22,555,226 6.231
March 24, 2128 15,520,043 8.283
Dec. 16, 2136 20,858,082 12.237
Dec. 19, 2141 8,065,569 6.753
Feb. 4, 2147 22,849,643 6.417
March 23, 2152 15,519,715 7.095
Dec. 17, 2160 24,022,798 12.902
Dec. 22, 2165 9,892,325 6.518
Feb. 22, 2171 21,951,858 6.094
March 23, 2176 21,007,944 10.668
Dec. 17, 2184 4,387,128 7.326
Feb. 17, 2190 22,275,251 6.188
March 21, 2195 28,656,572 12.699
Dec. 16, 2198 13,270,507 10.667

Images and Observations

2003 YX1's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Dec. 19, 2003. It was last officially observed on Feb. 26, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 433 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

2003 YX1 can be reached with a journey of 346 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 9.308 km/s. To put this into perspective, the delta-v to launch a rocket to Low-Earth Orbit is 9.7 km/s. There are 17,705 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2003 YX1.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2003 YX1:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 0.8797 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.267
  • Inclination: 5.76°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 89.62°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 223.15°
  • Mean Anomaly: 79.48°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.307 km
  • Magnitude: 20.95

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 301 days (0.82 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 31.80 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.11 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.64 AU

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

⧉

Sky Map

The position of 508908 (2003 YX1) 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 2003 YX1 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.