612346 (2002 GQ5)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 612346 (2002 GQ5)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 16,820,145 km of Earth in 2026
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

612346 (2002 GQ5) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2002 GQ5 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.

2002 GQ5 orbits the sun every 453 days (1.24 years), coming as close as 0.60 AU and reaching as far as 1.71 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2002 GQ5 is probably between 0.173 to 0.387 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2002 GQ5's orbit is 0.10 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.

2002 GQ5 has 15 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Aug. 27, 2026 16,820,145 13.723
March 22, 2028 15,511,109 15.403
Aug. 23, 2057 18,233,844 15.890
March 19, 2059 15,569,211 13.328
Sept. 6, 2083 29,910,136 9.485
Aug. 22, 2088 20,347,515 16.695
March 18, 2090 17,730,208 12.383
Sept. 4, 2114 25,026,251 10.656
March 27, 2116 24,254,241 18.267
Aug. 20, 2119 27,785,859 18.768
March 16, 2121 26,370,150 10.036
Aug. 30, 2145 17,654,289 13.142
March 25, 2147 16,683,060 16.039
Aug. 28, 2176 16,787,600 13.814
March 24, 2178 15,358,612 15.461

Images and Observations

2002 GQ5's orbit is determined by observations dating back to April 11, 2002. It was last officially observed on April 25, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 71 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 2002 GQ5:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.154 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4783
  • Inclination: 6.27°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 63.59°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 12.96°
  • Mean Anomaly: 173.91°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.224 km
  • Magnitude: 20.93

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 453 days (1.24 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 27.71 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.71 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.60 AU

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

⧉

Sky Map

The position of 612346 (2002 GQ5) 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 2002 GQ5 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.