154020 (2002 CA10)

Small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 154020 (2002 CA10)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Will pass within 25,938,607 km of Earth in 2022
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

154020 (2002 CA10) is a small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2002 CA10 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 CA10 orbits the sun every 699 days (1.91 years), coming as close as 0.63 AU and reaching as far as 2.45 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2002 CA10 is probably between 0.406 to 0.908 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.

Close Approaches

2002 CA10's orbit is 0.15 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 CA10 has 8 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Dec. 26, 2022 25,938,607 15.894
June 30, 2049 24,263,661 19.693
Dec. 27, 2066 25,658,876 15.909
June 28, 2093 26,092,494 20.595
Dec. 26, 2110 27,703,730 15.026
July 2, 2137 23,077,248 19.294
Jan. 2, 2155 22,833,833 18.710
Dec. 26, 2177 28,455,273 14.696

Images and Observations

2002 CA10's orbit is determined by observations dating back to May 24, 2001. It was last officially observed on Feb. 12, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 113 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 CA10:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.541 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5898
  • Inclination: 12.12°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 145.34°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 222.2°
  • Mean Anomaly: 161.0°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.524 km
  • Magnitude: 19.08

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 699 days (1.91 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 23.98 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.45 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.63 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 154020 (2002 CA10) 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 below comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 2002 CA10 to create an approximate landscape rendering with New York City in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.