518640 (2008 KZ5)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 518640 (2008 KZ5)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
  • Will pass within 12,516,566 km of Earth in 2023
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

518640 (2008 KZ5) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2008 KZ5 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2008 KZ5 orbits the sun every 914 days (2.50 years), coming as close as 1.01 AU and reaching as far as 2.68 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2008 KZ5 is probably between 0.257 to 0.575 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.

The rotation of 2008 KZ5 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 5.79 hours.

Close Approaches

2008 KZ5's orbit is 0.00 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.

2008 KZ5 has 8 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Sept. 14, 2023 12,516,566 8.455
Sept. 23, 2028 18,503,354 9.578
Oct. 3, 2033 27,610,619 11.555
July 21, 2141 25,095,022 12.241
July 30, 2146 13,637,170 10.142
Aug. 3, 2151 9,300,418 9.365
July 31, 2156 11,705,834 9.760
July 25, 2161 19,092,182 11.093

Images and Observations

2008 KZ5's orbit is determined by observations dating back to May 29, 2008. It was last officially observed on July 17, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 1,107 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 2008 KZ5:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.844 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4544
  • Inclination: 8.37°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 142.59°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 194.4°
  • Mean Anomaly: 3.19°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.332 km
  • Magnitude: 20.07

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 914 days (2.50 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 21.95 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.68 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.01 AU
  • Rotation Period: 5.79 hours

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

⧉

Sky Map

The position of 518640 (2008 KZ5) 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 2008 KZ5 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.