68548 (2001 XR31)

Mid-sized Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 68548 (2001 XR31)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Pentagon (1.18 km diameter)
  • Will pass within 18,111,253 km of Earth in 2023
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

68548 (2001 XR31) is a mid-sized asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2001 XR31 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2001 XR31 orbits the sun every 815 days (2.23 years), coming as close as 0.96 AU and reaching as far as 2.45 AU from the sun. 2001 XR31 is about 1.2 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the U.S. Pentagon.

Close Approaches

2001 XR31'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.

2001 XR31 has 6 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Aug. 5, 2023 18,111,253 14.182
Aug. 3, 2052 16,433,254 14.181
Aug. 10, 2081 25,115,456 14.217
July 11, 2119 23,819,091 16.962
July 16, 2148 14,757,573 15.969
July 14, 2177 17,256,250 16.259

Images and Observations

2001 XR31's orbit is determined by observations dating back to April 6, 1994. It was last officially observed on Aug. 6, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 831 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 2001 XR31:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.707 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4367
  • Inclination: 22.71°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 302.03°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 24.73°
  • Mean Anomaly: 9.72°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 1.18200 km
  • Magnitude: 16.68
  • Albedo: 0.289

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 815 days (2.23 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 22.79 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.45 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.96 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 68548 (2001 XR31) 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 2001 XR31 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.