612786 (2004 PJ2)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 612786 (2004 PJ2)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 10,093,438 km of Earth in 2026
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

612786 (2004 PJ2) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2004 PJ2 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2004 PJ2 orbits the sun every 617 days (1.69 years), coming as close as 0.93 AU and reaching as far as 1.90 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2004 PJ2 is probably between 0.084 to 0.378 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2004 PJ2'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.

2004 PJ2 has 14 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
April 22, 2026 10,093,438 6.286
July 26, 2031 25,584,031 12.763
March 23, 2048 19,702,916 11.472
July 2, 2053 5,879,061 6.850
March 22, 2075 22,589,218 12.055
June 12, 2080 11,562,118 6.221
April 22, 2107 9,985,821 6.313
July 22, 2112 17,020,029 11.041
April 27, 2134 10,870,061 6.231
July 27, 2139 24,849,636 12.607
March 21, 2156 27,497,955 13.078
June 15, 2161 11,461,660 6.240
March 23, 2183 24,068,725 12.368
June 14, 2188 11,450,509 6.235

Images and Observations

2004 PJ2's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Feb. 19, 1999. It was last officially observed on Oct. 2, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 134 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

2004 PJ2 can be reached with a journey of 394 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 11.681 km/s. To put this into perspective, the delta-v to launch a rocket to Low-Earth Orbit is 9.7 km/s. There are 26 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2004 PJ2.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2004 PJ2:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.418 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.3419
  • Inclination: 2.58°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 317.14°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 281.71°
  • Mean Anomaly: 150.56°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.231 km
  • Magnitude: 21.57

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 617 days (1.69 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 25.00 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.90 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.93 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 612786 (2004 PJ2) 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 PJ2 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.