515049 (2010 FL)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 515049 (2010 FL)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building (0.35 km diameter)
  • Will pass within 24,075,092 km of Earth in 2026
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

515049 (2010 FL) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2010 FL as a "Near Earth Asteroid" due to its orbit's proximity to Earth, but it is not considered potentially hazardous because computer simulations have not indicated any imminent likelihood of future collision.

2010 FL orbits the sun every 971 days (2.66 years), coming as close as 0.66 AU and reaching as far as 3.18 AU from the sun. 2010 FL is about 0.4 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 90% of asteroids but tiny compared to large asteroids, comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building.

Close Approaches

2010 FL's orbit is 0.14 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.

2010 FL has 6 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
April 7, 2026 24,075,092 21.722
April 27, 2095 28,105,600 16.375
April 11, 2103 21,412,073 20.864
April 26, 2148 26,764,428 16.488
Oct. 4, 2161 26,886,647 21.427
April 10, 2185 22,204,434 21.653

Images and Observations

2010 FL's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 30, 2002. It was last officially observed on Nov. 9, 2018. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 182 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 2010 FL:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.919 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.6548
  • Inclination: 11.4°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 66.61°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 214.08°
  • Mean Anomaly: 355.93°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 0.35100 km
  • Magnitude: 19.31
  • Albedo: 0.273

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 971 days (2.66 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 21.50 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.18 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.66 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 515049 (2010 FL) 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 2010 FL 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.