2010 RF12

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
• Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
• Will pass within 10,290,513 km of Earth in 2022
• Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

2010 RF12 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2010 RF12 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.

2010 RF12 orbits the sun every 399 days (1.09 years), coming as close as 0.86 AU and reaching as far as 1.26 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2010 RF12 is probably between 0.004 to 0.016 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2010 RF12's orbit is 0.00 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is very close to Earth's orbit.

2010 RF12 has 14 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

NASA Sentry has assessed impact risk for 70 very close approach scenarios. Here are the top scenarios ordered by probability of impact:

Images and Observations

2010 RF12's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 1, 2010. It was last officially observed on Aug. 24, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 339 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

2010 RF12 can be reached with a journey of 450 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 5.921 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 572,254 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2010 RF12.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2010 RF12:

• 4034 Vishnu (1986 PA)
• 4769 Castalia (1989 PB)
• 68950 (2002 QF15)

References

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

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2010 RF12 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.