439437 (2013 NK4)

Small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 439437 (2013 NK4)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Will pass within 3,256,735 km of Earth in 2024
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

439437 (2013 NK4) is a small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2013 NK4 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2013 NK4 orbits the sun every 378 days (1.03 years), coming as close as 0.46 AU and reaching as far as 1.59 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2013 NK4 is probably between 0.456 to 1.019 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than ~97% of asteroids but small compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge.

Close Approaches

2013 NK4's orbit is 0.01 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.

2013 NK4 has 22 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
April 15, 2024 3,256,735 16.490
April 23, 2025 28,314,417 22.564
Aug. 10, 2043 27,850,732 21.304
Aug. 17, 2044 17,761,799 15.449
April 15, 2054 29,502,461 11.885
April 17, 2055 2,152,821 16.998
Aug. 12, 2074 21,534,665 19.587
Aug. 20, 2075 23,088,272 13.654
April 14, 2085 21,752,650 12.957
April 18, 2086 7,782,808 18.406
Aug. 13, 2105 22,340,149 19.819
Aug. 21, 2106 22,277,328 13.895
April 15, 2116 18,953,361 13.440
April 20, 2117 11,482,727 19.140
Aug. 16, 2136 17,479,625 18.024
Aug. 22, 2137 28,299,773 12.415
April 16, 2147 19,489,534 13.325
April 20, 2148 9,876,892 18.833
Aug. 15, 2167 20,897,799 19.390
Aug. 21, 2168 23,792,485 13.484
April 16, 2178 14,361,674 14.250
April 23, 2179 17,582,893 20.399

Images and Observations

2013 NK4's orbit is determined by observations dating back to July 1, 2013. It was last officially observed on June 13, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 229 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 2013 NK4:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.023 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5499
  • Inclination: 6.52°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 33.74°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 50.59°
  • Mean Anomaly: 211.88°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.588 km
  • Magnitude: 18.83

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 378 days (1.03 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 29.44 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.59 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.46 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 439437 (2013 NK4) 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 above comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 2013 NK4 to create an approximate landscape rendering with Mount Everest in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.