162913 (2001 MT18)

Small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 162913 (2001 MT18)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Will pass within 23,178,361 km of Earth in 2031
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

162913 (2001 MT18) is a small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2001 MT18 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 MT18 orbits the sun every 523 days (1.43 years), coming as close as 0.61 AU and reaching as far as 1.93 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2001 MT18 is probably between 0.528 to 1.180 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

2001 MT18'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.

2001 MT18 has 12 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
June 18, 2031 23,178,361 16.593
Nov. 29, 2046 24,994,653 18.189
Dec. 5, 2056 22,861,653 14.429
June 9, 2084 28,337,312 12.463
June 22, 2094 26,683,475 18.509
Nov. 27, 2099 28,139,602 19.331
Dec. 8, 2109 24,573,527 13.514
June 16, 2137 23,590,679 14.522
June 23, 2147 25,932,336 18.181
Dec. 3, 2162 22,734,984 16.932
Dec. 11, 2172 27,231,339 12.511
June 12, 2190 27,847,425 12.613

Images and Observations

2001 MT18's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 12, 1990. It was last officially observed on Aug. 12, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 703 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 MT18:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.271 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5195
  • Inclination: 8.65°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 170.49°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 356.16°
  • Mean Anomaly: 247.78°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.682 km
  • Magnitude: 18.51

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 523 days (1.43 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 26.44 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.93 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.61 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 162913 (2001 MT18) 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 2001 MT18 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.