52340 (1992 SY)

Small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 52340 (1992 SY)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Will pass within 18,336,965 km of Earth in 2026
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

52340 (1992 SY) is a small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 1992 SY 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.

1992 SY orbits the sun every 1,200 days (3.29 years), coming as close as 1.00 AU and reaching as far as 3.42 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 1992 SY is probably between 0.638 to 1.426 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than ~97% of asteroids but small compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge.

Close Approaches

1992 SY's orbit is 0.10 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.

1992 SY has 4 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Feb. 27, 2026 18,336,965 10.803
Feb. 13, 2105 15,237,936 7.899
Feb. 26, 2128 15,303,364 9.978
Jan. 2, 2184 25,304,966 8.988

Images and Observations

1992 SY's orbit is determined by observations dating back to March 19, 1980. It was last officially observed on June 8, 2016. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 672 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 1992 SY:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.212 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5474
  • Inclination: 8.08°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 5.26°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 116.33°
  • Mean Anomaly: 99.09°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.823 km
  • Magnitude: 18.1

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,200 days (3.29 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 20.05 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.42 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.00 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 52340 (1992 SY) 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 above comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 1992 SY to create an approximate landscape rendering with Mount Everest in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.