523941 (1998 HK49) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 1998 HK49 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.
1998 HK49 orbits the sun every 593 days (1.62 years), coming as close as 0.92 AU and reaching as far as 1.84 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 1998 HK49 is probably between 0.093 to 0.209 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.
1998 HK49's orbit is 0.08 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.
1998 HK49 has 13 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
---|---|---|
Feb. 11, 2024 | 21,129,593 | 5.586 |
Jan. 21, 2037 | 19,973,288 | 5.513 |
Jan. 9, 2050 | 18,466,301 | 5.533 |
Jan. 3, 2063 | 17,331,442 | 5.666 |
Jan. 3, 2076 | 17,149,728 | 5.704 |
Jan. 8, 2089 | 18,298,201 | 5.527 |
Jan. 18, 2102 | 19,549,454 | 5.475 |
Feb. 5, 2115 | 20,914,498 | 5.610 |
Feb. 25, 2128 | 20,944,251 | 5.510 |
March 22, 2141 | 18,689,885 | 5.545 |
April 1, 2154 | 15,789,490 | 6.547 |
April 7, 2167 | 14,362,103 | 7.831 |
April 12, 2180 | 19,009,808 | 10.189 |
1998 HK49's orbit is determined by observations dating back to April 29, 1998. It was last officially observed on Nov. 14, 2018. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 94 observations used to determine its orbit.
The position of 523941 (1998 HK49) 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.
The below comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 1998 HK49 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.