2000 AB229

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Trans-Neptunian Object
• Comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay
• Not a Near Earth Object
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

2000 AB229 is a mid-sized asteroid whose orbit extends beyond the orbit of Neptune. NASA JPL has not classified 2000 AB229 as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

2000 AB229 orbits the sun every 137,000 days (375.09 years), coming as close as 2.28 AU and reaching as far as 101.60 AU from the sun. Its orbit is highly elliptical. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2000 AB229 is probably between 4.213 to 9.420 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay.

No Close Approaches

2000 AB229's orbit is 1.30 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that there is an extremely wide berth between this asteroid and Earth at all times.

Orbital simulations conducted by NASA JPL's CNEOS do not show any close approaches to Earth.

Images and Observations

2000 AB229's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Jan. 5, 2000. It was last officially observed on March 9, 2000. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 197 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 2000 AB229:

• 523692 (2014 EZ51)
• 2015 KT174

References

• JPL Small Body Database
• Mission Design
• Sky Finder Chart

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2000 AB229 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 2000 AB229 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.