514568 (1994 RC)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 514568 (1994 RC)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Will pass within 18,978,844 km of Earth in 2035
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

514568 (1994 RC) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 1994 RC as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

1994 RC orbits the sun every 1,240 days (3.39 years), coming as close as 0.90 AU and reaching as far as 3.63 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 1994 RC is probably between 0.381 to 0.851 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.

Close Approaches

1994 RC'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.

1994 RC has 6 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
June 3, 2035 18,978,844 10.344
Aug. 6, 2052 7,249,201 11.919
May 2, 2093 13,661,008 13.726
July 14, 2110 16,690,064 10.207
Aug. 8, 2151 5,693,554 11.791
May 18, 2175 13,765,950 11.076

Images and Observations

1994 RC's orbit is determined by observations dating back to April 7, 1994. It was last officially observed on Nov. 6, 2018. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 132 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 RC:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.264 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.6034
  • Inclination: 4.76°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 344.26°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 286.54°
  • Mean Anomaly: 197.7°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.491 km
  • Magnitude: 19.22

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,240 days (3.39 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 19.86 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.63 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.90 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 514568 (1994 RC) 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 RC 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.