612780 (2004 MD)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 612780 (2004 MD)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 24,925,261 km of Earth in 2020
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

612780 (2004 MD) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2004 MD as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2004 MD orbits the sun every 969 days (2.65 years), coming as close as 0.89 AU and reaching as far as 2.95 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2004 MD is probably between 0.247 to 0.552 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 90% of asteroids but tiny compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2004 MD's orbit is 0.01 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 MD has 9 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Feb. 28, 2020 24,925,261 12.370
June 19, 2065 9,852,239 14.531
May 19, 2073 19,102,567 10.243
March 24, 2081 26,891,848 9.907
Feb. 21, 2089 29,481,835 14.903
June 22, 2134 12,680,447 15.010
May 31, 2142 13,652,172 10.784
April 6, 2150 27,456,209 10.105
Feb. 26, 2158 27,914,473 13.891

Images and Observations

2004 MD's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Jan. 16, 2004. It was last officially observed on Aug. 14, 2020. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 483 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 MD:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.916 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5377
  • Inclination: 9.76°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 85.46°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 124.18°
  • Mean Anomaly: 106.97°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.319 km
  • Magnitude: 20.16

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 969 days (2.65 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 21.51 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.95 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.89 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 612780 (2004 MD) 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 MD 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.