612989 (2005 LW39)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 612989 (2005 LW39)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
  • Will pass within 25,440,382 km of Earth in 2019
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

612989 (2005 LW39) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2005 LW39 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2005 LW39 orbits the sun every 1,020 days (2.79 years), coming as close as 0.56 AU and reaching as far as 3.41 AU from the sun. Its orbit is highly elliptical. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2005 LW39 is probably between 0.266 to 0.594 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 90% of asteroids but tiny compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building.

Close Approaches

2005 LW39's orbit is 0.03 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.

2005 LW39 has 9 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
June 16, 2019 25,440,382 29.858
Nov. 27, 2080 27,196,981 30.592
Dec. 4, 2094 8,118,510 26.720
Dec. 9, 2108 13,570,361 23.868
May 27, 2120 28,343,695 21.994
Dec. 13, 2122 22,054,521 22.438
June 1, 2134 19,790,932 23.403
June 7, 2148 11,610,928 26.239
June 16, 2162 27,269,329 29.969

Images and Observations

2005 LW39's orbit is determined by observations dating back to June 15, 2005. It was last officially observed on Dec. 9, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 166 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 2005 LW39:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.988 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.7159
  • Inclination: 28.46°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 251.48°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 275.2°
  • Mean Anomaly: 200.62°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.343 km
  • Magnitude: 20.0

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,020 days (2.79 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 21.20 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.41 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.56 AU

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

⧉

Sky Map

The position of 612989 (2005 LW39) 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 2005 LW39 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.