88213 (2001 AF2)

Small Aten-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Aten-class Asteroids » 88213 (2001 AF2)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge (0.91 km diameter)
  • Will pass within 28,316,287 km of Earth in 2026
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

88213 (2001 AF2) is a small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2001 AF2 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.

2001 AF2 orbits the sun every 340 days (0.93 years), coming as close as 0.39 AU and reaching as far as 1.52 AU from the sun. 2001 AF2 is about 0.9 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than ~97% of asteroids but small compared to large asteroids, comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge.

Close Approaches

2001 AF2's orbit is 0.17 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 AF2 has 9 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Dec. 14, 2026 28,316,287 17.727
Dec. 16, 2053 26,577,470 21.034
Dec. 15, 2067 28,203,493 17.721
Dec. 16, 2094 26,133,207 20.795
Dec. 15, 2108 29,198,868 17.348
Dec. 17, 2135 25,655,683 20.450
Dec. 16, 2149 29,680,172 17.173
Dec. 17, 2176 25,481,364 20.401
Dec. 16, 2190 29,741,309 17.128

Images and Observations

2001 AF2's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Jan. 2, 2001. It was last officially observed on Feb. 21, 2019. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 354 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 AF2:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 0.9539 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5952
  • Inclination: 17.81°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 114.26°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 194.99°
  • Mean Anomaly: 251.15°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 0.91200 km
  • Magnitude: 19.48
  • Albedo: 0.028

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 340 days (0.93 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 30.52 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.52 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.39 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 88213 (2001 AF2) 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 AF2 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.