530974 (2012 BN11)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 530974 (2012 BN11)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 15,014,248 km of Earth in 2019
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

530974 (2012 BN11) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2012 BN11 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2012 BN11 orbits the sun every 643 days (1.76 years), coming as close as 0.88 AU and reaching as far as 2.03 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2012 BN11 is probably between 0.186 to 0.417 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

The rotation of 2012 BN11 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 5.36 hours.

Close Approaches

2012 BN11's orbit is 0.02 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.

2012 BN11 has 17 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
March 31, 2019 15,014,248 7.610
June 8, 2026 18,129,875 7.471
July 13, 2033 17,451,121 12.650
Feb. 29, 2056 17,639,315 13.252
April 2, 2063 15,715,504 7.581
June 13, 2070 17,088,279 7.470
July 15, 2077 19,896,754 13.215
March 2, 2100 17,891,329 13.322
April 3, 2107 15,554,770 7.604
June 14, 2114 17,113,116 7.482
July 17, 2121 20,312,992 13.321
March 3, 2144 16,067,102 12.931
April 5, 2151 15,907,931 7.592
June 14, 2158 17,295,387 7.471
July 16, 2165 18,944,552 13.051
March 3, 2188 15,695,025 12.840
April 7, 2195 16,565,845 7.580

Images and Observations

2012 BN11's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Jan. 19, 2012. It was last officially observed on Sept. 6, 2019. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 319 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 2012 BN11:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.458 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.3948
  • Inclination: 4.36°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 153.73°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 69.72°
  • Mean Anomaly: 175.68°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.241 km
  • Magnitude: 20.77

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 643 days (1.76 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 24.67 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.03 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.88 AU
  • Rotation Period: 5.36 hours

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

⧉

Sky Map

The position of 530974 (2012 BN11) 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 2012 BN11 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.