162195 (1999 RK45)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 162195 (1999 RK45)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
  • Will pass within 20,362,525 km of Earth in 2036
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

162195 (1999 RK45) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 1999 RK45 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.

1999 RK45 orbits the sun every 738 days (2.02 years), coming as close as 0.36 AU and reaching as far as 2.83 AU from the sun. Its orbit is highly elliptical. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 1999 RK45 is probably between 0.335 to 0.748 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 90% of asteroids but tiny compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building.

Close Approaches

1999 RK45's orbit is 0.09 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.

1999 RK45 has 11 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
May 18, 2036 20,362,525 22.632
May 24, 2038 13,278,159 26.058
May 29, 2040 23,493,230 29.523
Sept. 25, 2096 20,777,249 28.683
Oct. 1, 2098 14,560,720 25.024
Oct. 7, 2100 26,063,925 21.357
May 22, 2133 16,699,282 23.622
May 29, 2135 16,349,971 27.614
Sept. 24, 2185 28,440,367 30.589
Oct. 1, 2187 14,648,602 26.311
Oct. 7, 2189 21,319,702 22.549

Images and Observations

1999 RK45's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 13, 1999. It was last officially observed on Aug. 9, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 154 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 1999 RK45:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.598 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.7729
  • Inclination: 5.89°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 120.0°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 4.17°
  • Mean Anomaly: 283.64°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.432 km
  • Magnitude: 19.5

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 738 days (2.02 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 23.56 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.83 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.36 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 162195 (1999 RK45) 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 1999 RK45 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.