Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 4,077,041 km of Earth in 2023
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

525229 (2004 UU1) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2004 UU1 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2004 UU1 orbits the sun every 496 days (1.36 years), coming as close as 0.89 AU and reaching as far as 1.56 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2004 UU1 is probably between 0.149 to 0.334 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2004 UU1's orbit is 0.03 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.

2004 UU1 has 9 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Oct. 30, 2023 4,077,041 17.428
Oct. 31, 2042 5,586,527 17.833
Nov. 4, 2061 21,467,515 19.639
Oct. 23, 2076 29,649,004 15.839
Oct. 28, 2095 11,249,855 16.700
Oct. 31, 2114 3,949,119 17.547
Nov. 4, 2133 16,603,065 19.082
Oct. 28, 2167 15,252,318 16.441
Oct. 31, 2186 3,871,738 17.441

Images and Observations

2004 UU1's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 23, 2004. It was last officially observed on April 26, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 117 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 2004 UU1:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.226 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.2735
  • Inclination: 29.96°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 217.76°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 113.61°
  • Mean Anomaly: 4.84°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.193 km
  • Magnitude: 21.25

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 496 days (1.36 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 26.89 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.56 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.89 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 525229 (2004 UU1) 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 2004 UU1 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.