162911 (2001 LL5)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

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Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
  • Will pass within 29,621,937 km of Earth in 2038
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

162911 (2001 LL5) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2001 LL5 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 LL5 orbits the sun every 483 days (1.32 years), coming as close as 0.80 AU and reaching as far as 1.61 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2001 LL5 is probably between 0.362 to 0.809 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

2001 LL5's orbit is 0.10 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 LL5 has 22 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
April 27, 2038 29,621,937 13.605
April 9, 2042 22,573,914 7.248
Dec. 28, 2049 24,339,097 8.852
Nov. 18, 2053 15,455,987 10.269
April 27, 2075 28,481,241 13.320
April 6, 2079 23,616,011 6.920
Dec. 23, 2086 23,043,454 8.691
Nov. 15, 2090 16,811,006 11.007
April 26, 2112 24,515,249 12.114
March 21, 2116 26,510,818 7.102
Jan. 28, 2120 29,472,032 9.428
Dec. 14, 2123 20,020,876 8.405
Nov. 13, 2127 21,178,001 12.395
April 25, 2149 22,387,552 11.300
March 14, 2153 27,676,967 7.534
Jan. 25, 2157 29,110,243 9.443
Dec. 10, 2160 19,063,436 8.394
Nov. 12, 2164 21,899,064 12.616
April 25, 2186 22,000,646 11.166
March 12, 2190 28,037,976 7.659
Jan. 23, 2194 28,858,893 9.406
Dec. 7, 2197 17,945,716 8.421

Images and Observations

2001 LL5's orbit is determined by observations dating back to June 6, 2001. It was last officially observed on June 18, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 296 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 LL5:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.204 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.3392
  • Inclination: 7.95°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 281.83°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 205.18°
  • Mean Anomaly: 20.57°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.467 km
  • Magnitude: 19.33

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 483 days (1.32 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 27.12 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.61 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.80 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 162911 (2001 LL5) 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 2001 LL5 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.