52768 (1998 OR2)

Mid-sized Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 52768 (1998 OR2)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to Mount Everest (1.75 km diameter)
  • Will pass within 6,290,454 km of Earth in 2020
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

52768 (1998 OR2) is a mid-sized asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 1998 OR2 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

1998 OR2 orbits the sun every 1,340 days (3.67 years), coming as close as 1.01 AU and reaching as far as 3.75 AU from the sun. 1998 OR2 is about 1.8 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to Mount Everest.

The rotation of 1998 OR2 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 4.11 hours.

Close Approaches

1998 OR2'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.

1998 OR2 has 7 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
April 29, 2020 6,290,454 8.702
May 18, 2031 19,016,217 11.596
April 16, 2079 1,772,680 8.170
May 17, 2090 17,196,642 11.141
April 16, 2127 2,511,208 8.036
May 20, 2138 18,051,118 11.366
May 27, 2186 27,253,506 13.030

Images and Observations

1998 OR2's orbit is determined by observations dating back to June 30, 1987. It was last officially observed on Dec. 26, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 5,941 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 1998 OR2:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.38 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5755
  • Inclination: 5.88°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 26.94°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 174.6°
  • Mean Anomaly: 333.83°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 1.75000 km
  • Magnitude: 16.04

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,340 days (3.67 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 19.32 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.75 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.01 AU
  • Rotation Period: 4.11 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 52768 (1998 OR2) 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 1998 OR2 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.