Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 1,087,591 km of Earth in 2022
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2022 PX1 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2022 PX1 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.

2022 PX1 orbits the sun every 957 days (2.62 years), coming as close as 0.22 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, 2022 PX1 is probably between 0.097 to 0.217 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2022 PX1's orbit is 0.00 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.

2022 PX1 has 1 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Aug. 12, 2022 1,087,591 35.121

NASA Sentry has assessed impact risk for 1 very close approach scenarios. Here are the top scenarios ordered by probability of impact:

Date Probability of Impact (%) Impact Energy (Mt)
Aug. 11, 2040 0.00032 361.7

Images and Observations

2022 PX1's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Aug. 5, 2022. It was last officially observed on Aug. 12, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 39 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 2022 PX1:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2459801.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.9 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.8818
  • Inclination: 37.75°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 319.47°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 130.9°
  • Mean Anomaly: 343.92°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.125 km
  • Magnitude: 22.19

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 957 days (2.62 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 21.60 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.58 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.22 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2022 PX1 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 2022 PX1 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.