66008 (1998 QH2)

Mid-sized Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 66008 (1998 QH2)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Pentagon (1.48 km diameter)
  • Will pass within 11,613,551 km of Earth in 2025
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

66008 (1998 QH2) is a mid-sized asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 1998 QH2 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.

1998 QH2 orbits the sun every 622 days (1.70 years), coming as close as 0.91 AU and reaching as far as 1.94 AU from the sun. 1998 QH2 is about 1.5 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the U.S. Pentagon.

The rotation of 1998 QH2 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 7.09 hours.

Close Approaches

1998 QH2's orbit is 0.08 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.

1998 QH2 has 7 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
March 9, 2025 11,613,551 34.080
March 7, 2071 13,680,339 34.294
March 15, 2088 22,878,981 33.978
March 5, 2117 21,621,149 34.675
March 13, 2134 14,960,654 34.008
March 2, 2163 29,521,404 35.071
March 11, 2180 11,992,005 34.110

Images and Observations

1998 QH2's orbit is determined by observations dating back to June 23, 1996. It was last officially observed on Nov. 14, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 1,508 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 1998 QH2:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.426 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.3628
  • Inclination: 61.01°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 168.93°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 14.02°
  • Mean Anomaly: 38.74°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 1.48400 km
  • Magnitude: 15.99
  • Albedo: 0.319

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 622 days (1.70 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 24.94 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.94 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.91 AU
  • Rotation Period: 7.09 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 66008 (1998 QH2) 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 1998 QH2 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.