85818 (1998 XM4)

Mid-sized Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 85818 (1998 XM4)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to Mount Everest (2.03 km diameter)
  • Will pass within 18,850,307 km of Earth in 2027
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

85818 (1998 XM4) is a mid-sized asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 1998 XM4 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 XM4 orbits the sun every 779 days (2.13 years), coming as close as 0.97 AU and reaching as far as 2.35 AU from the sun. 1998 XM4 is about 2.0 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to Mount Everest.

The rotation of 1998 XM4 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 19.45 hours.

1998 XM4's spectral type None (Tholen) / S (SMASSII) indicates that it is likely to contain and .

Close Approaches

1998 XM4's orbit is 0.11 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 XM4 has 5 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
May 18, 2027 18,850,307 33.290
May 15, 2059 16,957,646 32.623
May 13, 2091 22,113,470 32.014
May 21, 2140 27,269,099 33.939
May 18, 2172 19,989,510 33.074

Images and Observations

1998 XM4's orbit is determined by observations dating back to May 24, 1993. It was last officially observed on Aug. 6, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 910 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 XM4:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.657 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4164
  • Inclination: 62.72°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 235.64°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 301.24°
  • Mean Anomaly: 121.61°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 2.02800 km
  • Magnitude: 15.46
  • Albedo: 0.168
  • Spectral type (SMASS): S

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 779 days (2.13 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 23.14 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.35 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.97 AU
  • Rotation Period: 19.45 hours
  • Approx. Composition: and .

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 85818 (1998 XM4) 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 XM4 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.