Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 22,601,479 km of Earth in 2024
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2004 CO49 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2004 CO49 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2004 CO49 orbits the sun every 589 days (1.61 years), coming as close as 0.84 AU and reaching as far as 1.91 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2004 CO49 is probably between 0.083 to 0.372 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2004 CO49's orbit is 0.02 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.

2004 CO49 has 18 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Dec. 6, 2024 22,601,479 8.252
Feb. 11, 2033 20,298,716 13.695
Oct. 7, 2045 13,409,556 7.955
Jan. 25, 2054 7,738,199 8.437
Sept. 17, 2066 25,081,960 14.122
Nov. 17, 2074 22,499,876 8.024
Feb. 5, 2083 7,026,464 10.924
Oct. 4, 2095 11,723,677 8.532
Jan. 29, 2104 6,012,900 8.769
Sept. 21, 2116 18,768,335 12.664
Dec. 9, 2124 22,495,487 8.251
Feb. 13, 2133 21,871,296 14.010
Oct. 10, 2145 13,752,084 7.871
Jan. 25, 2154 8,862,843 8.250
Sept. 17, 2166 29,604,762 15.088
Nov. 11, 2174 21,659,792 7.843
Feb. 4, 2183 4,279,993 10.193
Oct. 4, 2195 11,136,252 8.826

Images and Observations

2004 CO49's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Feb. 14, 2004. It was last officially observed on March 27, 2017. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 86 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

2004 CO49 can be reached with a journey of 378 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 11.729 km/s. To put this into perspective, the delta-v to launch a rocket to Low-Earth Orbit is 9.7 km/s. There are 105 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2004 CO49.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2004 CO49:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.375 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.3883
  • Inclination: 4.26°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 115.13°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 315.95°
  • Mean Anomaly: 86.4°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.228 km
  • Magnitude: 21.6

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 589 days (1.61 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 25.40 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.91 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.84 AU

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2004 CO49 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 2004 CO49 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.