Key Facts

Overview

2018 LA is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2018 LA 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.

2018 LA orbits the sun every 590 days (1.62 years), coming as close as 0.78 AU and reaching as far as 1.97 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2018 LA is probably between 0.002 to 0.005 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

No Close Approaches

2018 LA'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.

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

Images and Observations

2018 LA's orbit is determined by observations dating back to June 2, 2018. It was last officially observed on June 2, 2018. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 17 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 2018 LA:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2458271.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.376 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4319
  • Inclination: 4.3°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 71.87°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 256.05°
  • Mean Anomaly: 326.73°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.003 km
  • Magnitude: 30.55

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 590 days (1.62 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 25.37 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.97 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.78 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2018 LA 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.