99935 (2002 AV4)

Mid-sized Apollo-class Asteroid

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Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 99935 (2002 AV4)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to Mount Everest
  • Will pass within 28,714,717 km of Earth in 2069
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

99935 (2002 AV4) is a mid-sized asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2002 AV4 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.

2002 AV4 orbits the sun every 777 days (2.13 years), coming as close as 0.59 AU and reaching as far as 2.72 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2002 AV4 is probably between 1.558 to 3.484 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to Mount Everest.

The rotation of 2002 AV4 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 5.53 hours.

Close Approaches

2002 AV4'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.

2002 AV4 has 6 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
May 20, 2069 28,714,717 22.844
Nov. 23, 2073 27,530,683 18.634
May 24, 2086 25,604,639 20.189
Nov. 30, 2090 26,292,210 20.966
May 24, 2186 27,567,173 21.725
Nov. 28, 2190 27,012,383 19.563

Images and Observations

2002 AV4's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Jan. 29, 1955. It was last officially observed on March 21, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 2,020 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 2002 AV4:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.654 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.6449
  • Inclination: 12.77°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 16.34°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 323.0°
  • Mean Anomaly: 165.7°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~2.011 km
  • Magnitude: 16.16

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 777 days (2.13 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 23.16 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.72 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.59 AU
  • Rotation Period: 5.53 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 99935 (2002 AV4) 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 2002 AV4 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.