2008 OO

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2008 OO

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
  • Will pass within 11,359,284 km of Earth in 2060
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2008 OO is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2008 OO as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2008 OO orbits the sun every 1,110 days (3.04 years), coming as close as 0.63 AU and reaching as far as 3.58 AU from the sun. Its orbit is highly elliptical. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2008 OO is probably between 0.305 to 0.682 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

2008 OO'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.

2008 OO has 8 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Jan. 20, 2060 11,359,284 18.706
July 6, 2078 10,782,945 18.834
July 17, 2081 18,881,701 24.493
Jan. 26, 2127 14,501,736 17.448
June 23, 2136 29,229,909 14.947
July 19, 2139 22,953,450 24.797
Jan. 17, 2194 4,504,700 21.569
Feb. 4, 2197 29,746,358 15.060

Images and Observations

2008 OO's orbit is determined by observations dating back to July 26, 2008. It was last officially observed on Aug. 20, 2014. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 117 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 2008 OO:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.104 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.7022
  • Inclination: 5.48°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 305.91°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 253.74°
  • Mean Anomaly: 6.81°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.394 km
  • Magnitude: 19.7

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,110 days (3.04 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 20.62 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.58 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.63 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2008 OO 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 2008 OO 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.