Key Facts
- Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
- Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller (0.10 km diameter)
- Will pass within 29,864,243 km of Earth in 2022
- Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
- Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
- See orbit simulation
Overview
450237 (2002 XY38) is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2002 XY38 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.
2002 XY38 orbits the sun every 318 days (0.87 years), coming as close as 0.71 AU and reaching as far as 1.11 AU from the sun. 2002 XY38 is about 0.1 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.
Close Approaches
2002 XY38'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.
2002 XY38 has 34 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
| Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
|---|---|---|
| Sept. 19, 2022 | 29,864,243 | 4.557 |
| Dec. 20, 2022 | 19,084,216 | 5.235 |
| Feb. 21, 2030 | 4,680,727 | 5.684 |
| Nov. 7, 2035 | 22,354,011 | 11.023 |
| Feb. 20, 2037 | 25,528,768 | 11.814 |
| Nov. 11, 2042 | 9,882,514 | 4.952 |
| Jan. 16, 2050 | 18,092,454 | 5.158 |
| March 31, 2050 | 27,810,084 | 3.119 |
| Feb. 23, 2057 | 6,993,496 | 7.983 |
| Nov. 5, 2062 | 7,062,933 | 7.554 |
| Dec. 7, 2069 | 17,709,735 | 5.047 |
| Jan. 24, 2077 | 16,855,800 | 5.065 |
| Feb. 23, 2084 | 12,020,926 | 9.029 |
| Nov. 6, 2089 | 5,919,460 | 5.952 |
| Jan. 14, 2097 | 18,411,443 | 5.229 |
| April 5, 2097 | 28,928,552 | 3.772 |
| Feb. 25, 2104 | 9,889,522 | 8.599 |
| Nov. 9, 2109 | 7,554,619 | 5.470 |
| Feb. 4, 2117 | 14,016,486 | 4.895 |
| Nov. 8, 2122 | 23,575,030 | 11.307 |
| Feb. 22, 2124 | 25,018,766 | 11.748 |
| Nov. 29, 2129 | 15,476,649 | 4.843 |
| Feb. 10, 2137 | 12,256,424 | 4.871 |
| Nov. 9, 2142 | 28,081,606 | 12.263 |
| Feb. 23, 2144 | 18,461,473 | 10.431 |
| Nov. 6, 2149 | 6,327,394 | 5.957 |
| Jan. 7, 2157 | 19,205,843 | 5.339 |
| Feb. 25, 2164 | 7,342,284 | 8.100 |
| Nov. 8, 2169 | 7,696,258 | 5.521 |
| Jan. 29, 2177 | 15,524,939 | 5.031 |
| Nov. 8, 2182 | 23,629,699 | 11.328 |
| Feb. 22, 2184 | 24,851,811 | 11.753 |
| Nov. 30, 2189 | 16,093,735 | 4.932 |
| Feb. 17, 2197 | 8,489,635 | 5.168 |
Images and Observations
2002 XY38's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Dec. 7, 2002. It was last officially observed on Jan. 13, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 145 observations used to determine its orbit.
Accessibility and Exploration
2002 XY38 can be reached with a journey of 346 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 7.113 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 184,483 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.
See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2002 XY38.
Similar Objects
These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2002 XY38:References
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or view a random objectOrbital Elements
- Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
- Semi-major axis: 0.9113 AU
- Eccentricity: 0.2176
- Inclination: 2.12°
- Longitude of Ascending Node: 158.71°
- Argument of Periapsis: 119.91°
- Mean Anomaly: 107.54°
Physical Characteristics
- Diameter: 0.09600 km
- Magnitude: 23.18
- Albedo: 0.134
Derived Characteristics
- Orbit Period: 318 days (0.87 years)
- Avg. Orbit Speed: 31.18 km/s
- Aphelion Distance: 1.11 AU
- Perihelion Distance: 0.71 AU
Map Comparison
Orbit Simulation
Sky Map
The position of 450237 (2002 XY38) 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 2002 XY38 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.
