523820 (2011 GN44)

Small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 523820 (2011 GN44)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Will pass within 24,669,304 km of Earth in 2075
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

523820 (2011 GN44) is a small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2011 GN44 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2011 GN44 orbits the sun every 1,230 days (3.37 years), coming as close as 0.90 AU and reaching as far as 3.59 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2011 GN44 is probably between 0.609 to 1.362 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

2011 GN44's orbit is 0.01 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.

2011 GN44 has 4 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Oct. 18, 2075 24,669,304 34.329
Oct. 18, 2112 24,591,085 34.181
Oct. 17, 2149 22,805,188 33.927
Oct. 17, 2186 23,735,038 33.982

Images and Observations

2011 GN44's orbit is determined by observations dating back to April 3, 2011. It was last officially observed on May 9, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 140 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 2011 GN44:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.245 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5978
  • Inclination: 55.02°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 16.92°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 319.4°
  • Mean Anomaly: 190.1°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.786 km
  • Magnitude: 18.2

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,230 days (3.37 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 19.86 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.59 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.90 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 523820 (2011 GN44) 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 2011 GN44 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.