154302 (2002 UQ3)

Small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 154302 (2002 UQ3)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Will pass within 28,801,445 km of Earth in 2048
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

154302 (2002 UQ3) is a small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2002 UQ3 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2002 UQ3 orbits the sun every 824 days (2.26 years), coming as close as 0.75 AU and reaching as far as 2.69 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2002 UQ3 is probably between 0.770 to 1.722 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 2002 UQ3 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 4.33 hours.

Close Approaches

2002 UQ3's orbit is 0.04 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 UQ3 has 6 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
April 20, 2048 28,801,445 17.544
April 27, 2057 10,276,011 19.865
May 3, 2066 10,299,836 22.238
Nov. 21, 2099 29,838,793 20.475
April 25, 2136 17,660,975 18.852
May 3, 2145 10,351,291 22.326

Images and Observations

2002 UQ3's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 5, 2002. It was last officially observed on July 7, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 895 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 UQ3:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.72 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5613
  • Inclination: 28.83°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 222.71°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 280.99°
  • Mean Anomaly: 55.57°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.994 km
  • Magnitude: 17.69

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 824 days (2.26 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 22.71 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.69 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.75 AU
  • Rotation Period: 4.33 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 154302 (2002 UQ3) 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 UQ3 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.