620103 (2018 LC3)

Small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 620103 (2018 LC3)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Will pass within 24,933,483 km of Earth in 2026
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

620103 (2018 LC3) is a small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2018 LC3 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2018 LC3 orbits the sun every 570 days (1.56 years), coming as close as 0.61 AU and reaching as far as 2.08 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2018 LC3 is probably between 0.464 to 1.038 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than ~97% of asteroids but small compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge.

Close Approaches

2018 LC3's orbit is 0.05 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.

2018 LC3 has 15 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Jan. 1, 2026 24,933,483 31.171
July 10, 2032 7,708,492 26.834
July 7, 2057 19,573,903 24.994
Jan. 12, 2065 23,549,880 27.635
July 19, 2071 27,392,561 30.762
Jan. 7, 2090 18,927,570 29.144
July 14, 2096 15,530,238 28.950
Jan. 5, 2115 20,917,936 30.218
July 14, 2121 9,575,589 27.973
Jan. 4, 2140 22,109,129 30.537
July 14, 2146 8,765,845 27.838
Jan. 5, 2165 20,811,516 30.188
July 15, 2171 10,493,023 28.182
Jan. 7, 2190 19,318,834 29.600
July 16, 2196 15,857,243 29.048

Images and Observations

2018 LC3's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 9, 2014. It was last officially observed on Oct. 2, 2018. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 90 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 2018 LC3:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.346 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.548
  • Inclination: 44.35°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 111.19°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 76.25°
  • Mean Anomaly: 162.9°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.599 km
  • Magnitude: 18.79

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 570 days (1.56 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 25.69 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.08 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.61 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 620103 (2018 LC3) 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 above comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 2018 LC3 to create an approximate landscape rendering with Mount Everest in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.