Akka

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Amor-class Asteroid
• Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
• Will pass within 13,765,560 km of Earth in 2044
• Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

Akka is a small asteroid whose orbit approaches the orbit of Earth but does not cross it. NASA JPL has classified Akka 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.

Akka orbits the sun every 904 days (2.48 years), coming as close as 1.08 AU and reaching as far as 2.58 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, Akka is probably between 0.662 to 1.479 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.

The rotation of Akka has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 7.28 hours.

Close Approaches

Akka's orbit is 0.07 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.

Akka has 5 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Images and Observations

Akka's orbit is determined by observations dating back to May 21, 1992. It was last officially observed on Dec. 24, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 637 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 Akka:

• 3757 Anagolay (1982 XB)
• 4055 Magellan (1985 DO2)
• 4341 Poseidon (1987 KF)

References

• JPL Small Body Database
• Mission Design
• Sky Finder Chart

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Akka 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 Akka 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.