Kamo`oalewa

469219 Kamo`oalewa (2016 HO3)

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » Kamo`oalewa

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 22,544,872 km of Earth in 2019
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

Kamo`oalewa is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified Kamo`oalewa 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.

Kamo`oalewa orbits the sun every 366 days (1.00 years), coming as close as 0.90 AU and reaching as far as 1.10 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, Kamo`oalewa is probably between 0.024 to 0.106 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

The rotation of Kamo`oalewa has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 0.47 hours.

Close Approaches

Kamo`oalewa's orbit is 0.03 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.

Kamo`oalewa has 277 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
April 19, 2019 22,544,872 4.118
Oct. 8, 2019 22,621,244 4.331
April 13, 2020 23,333,985 4.047
Oct. 12, 2020 21,955,322 4.424
April 8, 2021 24,044,323 3.951
Oct. 17, 2021 21,194,393 4.508
April 2, 2022 24,646,808 3.822
Oct. 22, 2022 20,397,799 4.549
March 27, 2023 25,113,042 3.659
Oct. 26, 2023 19,562,127 4.593
March 20, 2024 25,449,187 3.464
Oct. 29, 2024 18,728,976 4.597
March 13, 2025 25,631,977 3.238
Nov. 2, 2025 17,924,207 4.614
March 5, 2026 25,656,811 2.984
Nov. 5, 2026 17,240,549 4.603
Feb. 21, 2027 25,521,912 2.688
Nov. 7, 2027 16,689,222 4.605
Nov. 7, 2028 16,290,139 4.599
Nov. 9, 2029 16,065,854 4.589
Nov. 9, 2030 16,051,269 4.590
Nov. 8, 2031 16,252,913 4.579
Nov. 6, 2032 16,612,838 4.571
Nov. 4, 2033 17,142,390 4.573
Nov. 2, 2034 17,844,124 4.563
Feb. 20, 2035 25,525,281 2.694
Oct. 30, 2035 18,686,884 4.542
March 3, 2036 25,644,155 2.979
Oct. 25, 2036 19,595,789 4.517
March 12, 2037 25,601,144 3.214
Oct. 20, 2037 20,552,417 4.479
March 19, 2038 25,401,359 3.402
Oct. 15, 2038 21,515,967 4.411
March 26, 2039 25,021,333 3.603
Oct. 9, 2039 22,422,934 4.305
April 1, 2040 24,502,320 3.749
Oct. 2, 2040 23,206,079 4.164
April 7, 2041 23,848,027 3.873
Sept. 26, 2041 23,852,150 3.994
April 14, 2042 23,075,343 3.969
Sept. 19, 2042 24,348,940 3.792
April 19, 2043 22,203,920 4.034
Sept. 11, 2043 24,674,549 3.554
April 23, 2044 21,283,811 4.086
Sept. 2, 2044 24,793,508 3.301
April 28, 2045 20,397,572 4.108
Aug. 23, 2045 24,707,030 3.056
May 2, 2046 19,559,499 4.128
Aug. 10, 2046 24,406,521 2.867
May 5, 2047 18,826,789 4.129
May 6, 2048 18,267,717 4.133
May 7, 2049 17,947,011 4.133
May 8, 2050 17,847,458 4.121
May 8, 2051 17,939,233 4.130
May 6, 2052 18,275,916 4.119
May 5, 2053 18,834,063 4.110
May 2, 2054 19,588,791 4.107
April 28, 2055 20,482,175 4.089
Aug. 12, 2055 24,443,097 2.927
April 23, 2056 21,494,345 4.047
Aug. 24, 2056 24,680,227 3.091
April 18, 2057 22,541,507 3.982
Sept. 2, 2057 24,702,650 3.288
April 11, 2058 23,545,271 3.890
Sept. 11, 2058 24,503,078 3.513
April 5, 2059 24,428,509 3.764
Sept. 19, 2059 24,103,674 3.733
March 27, 2060 25,182,781 3.598
Sept. 26, 2060 23,528,698 3.899
March 18, 2061 25,758,844 3.392
Oct. 3, 2061 22,792,441 4.059
March 8, 2062 26,103,343 3.162
Oct. 10, 2062 21,950,818 4.172
Feb. 25, 2063 26,176,250 2.942
Oct. 16, 2063 21,055,732 4.246
Feb. 9, 2064 25,938,293 2.814
Oct. 20, 2064 20,109,481 4.302
Oct. 25, 2065 19,226,282 4.322
Oct. 29, 2066 18,463,029 4.337
Oct. 31, 2067 17,932,637 4.334
Nov. 1, 2068 17,594,410 4.332
Nov. 1, 2069 17,516,425 4.331
Nov. 1, 2070 17,714,133 4.321
Oct. 31, 2071 18,161,273 4.314
Oct. 27, 2072 18,815,343 4.304
Oct. 23, 2073 19,649,008 4.278
Oct. 19, 2074 20,614,098 4.229
Oct. 13, 2075 21,655,627 4.149
Jan. 30, 2076 25,661,645 2.942
Oct. 4, 2076 22,658,613 4.028
Feb. 17, 2077 26,019,435 2.867
Sept. 26, 2077 23,563,522 3.862
March 2, 2078 26,031,694 3.001
Sept. 17, 2078 24,304,597 3.658
March 13, 2079 25,743,368 3.212
Sept. 8, 2079 24,811,301 3.439
March 23, 2080 25,197,745 3.447
Aug. 28, 2080 25,031,440 3.251
April 2, 2081 24,442,365 3.650
Aug. 17, 2081 24,958,475 3.137
April 12, 2082 23,531,859 3.817
Aug. 4, 2082 24,579,924 3.153
April 20, 2083 22,485,252 3.949
July 15, 2083 23,836,191 3.467
April 28, 2084 21,425,472 4.029
May 4, 2085 20,479,447 4.071
May 8, 2086 19,694,930 4.082
May 12, 2087 19,135,047 4.084
May 13, 2088 18,863,386 4.083
May 12, 2089 18,933,111 4.088
May 13, 2090 19,304,882 4.093
May 11, 2091 19,921,941 4.100
May 6, 2092 20,806,291 4.093
April 29, 2093 21,898,309 4.046
April 19, 2094 23,080,527 3.921
July 12, 2094 23,508,927 3.566
April 8, 2095 24,210,527 3.715
July 28, 2095 24,235,262 3.277
March 25, 2096 25,205,684 3.456
Aug. 9, 2096 24,699,038 3.152
March 13, 2097 25,945,669 3.195
Aug. 21, 2097 24,871,041 3.148
Feb. 27, 2098 26,346,159 3.000
Sept. 1, 2098 24,743,793 3.233
Feb. 14, 2099 26,362,515 2.943
Sept. 12, 2099 24,341,340 3.392
Jan. 30, 2100 26,003,245 3.071
Sept. 23, 2100 23,681,800 3.614
Jan. 13, 2101 25,247,213 3.429
Oct. 4, 2101 22,826,184 3.838
Oct. 15, 2102 21,872,581 4.032
Oct. 25, 2103 20,913,957 4.157
Oct. 31, 2104 20,000,429 4.211
Nov. 7, 2105 19,291,116 4.232
Nov. 9, 2106 18,879,120 4.220
Nov. 11, 2107 18,844,321 4.229
Nov. 10, 2108 19,108,948 4.230
Nov. 8, 2109 19,710,552 4.244
Nov. 4, 2110 20,620,068 4.259
Oct. 21, 2111 21,739,456 4.117
Oct. 6, 2112 22,837,676 3.842
Dec. 17, 2112 23,113,054 4.072
Sept. 23, 2113 23,793,523 3.558
Jan. 1, 2114 24,204,554 3.755
Sept. 10, 2114 24,527,665 3.324
Jan. 15, 2115 25,108,422 3.440
Aug. 29, 2115 24,972,298 3.194
Jan. 28, 2116 25,762,261 3.157
Aug. 17, 2116 25,077,589 3.197
Feb. 9, 2117 26,095,927 2.966
Aug. 5, 2117 24,855,805 3.312
Feb. 23, 2118 26,093,924 2.905
July 26, 2118 24,331,238 3.499
March 11, 2119 25,728,422 3.037
July 15, 2119 23,539,760 3.706
July 5, 2120 22,589,060 3.882
June 26, 2121 21,572,867 4.006
June 20, 2122 20,569,478 4.080
June 14, 2123 19,636,782 4.118
June 10, 2124 18,898,759 4.134
June 9, 2125 18,427,208 4.140
June 8, 2126 18,232,807 4.146
June 9, 2127 18,315,393 4.146
June 10, 2128 18,683,921 4.148
June 13, 2129 19,301,656 4.140
June 18, 2130 20,097,182 4.123
June 24, 2131 20,979,583 4.077
June 30, 2132 21,904,012 4.007
March 3, 2133 26,049,307 2.909
July 8, 2133 22,817,880 3.882
Feb. 15, 2134 26,317,116 2.927
July 16, 2134 23,612,599 3.728
Feb. 3, 2135 26,217,479 3.109
July 25, 2135 24,226,733 3.557
Jan. 23, 2136 25,812,198 3.348
Aug. 3, 2136 24,645,313 3.349
Jan. 12, 2137 25,122,923 3.589
Aug. 13, 2137 24,814,742 3.169
Jan. 3, 2138 24,216,534 3.795
Aug. 24, 2138 24,715,487 3.071
Dec. 26, 2138 23,177,302 3.952
Sept. 7, 2139 24,354,552 3.092
Dec. 20, 2139 22,101,598 4.058
Dec. 13, 2140 21,026,493 4.120
Dec. 8, 2141 20,050,218 4.148
Dec. 6, 2142 19,264,840 4.162
Dec. 4, 2143 18,706,201 4.175
Dec. 2, 2144 18,365,193 4.172
Dec. 2, 2145 18,293,663 4.173
Dec. 4, 2146 18,495,049 4.180
Dec. 5, 2147 18,987,640 4.170
Dec. 8, 2148 19,676,034 4.169
Dec. 12, 2149 20,529,161 4.142
Aug. 31, 2150 24,586,075 3.009
Dec. 17, 2150 21,493,402 4.106
Aug. 19, 2151 24,890,864 3.110
Dec. 23, 2151 22,491,692 4.030
Aug. 8, 2152 24,913,557 3.310
Dec. 28, 2152 23,405,855 3.939
July 30, 2153 24,690,615 3.533
Jan. 5, 2154 24,234,615 3.797
July 21, 2154 24,240,849 3.749
Jan. 12, 2155 24,924,721 3.634
July 13, 2155 23,577,723 3.938
Jan. 21, 2156 25,458,643 3.438
July 5, 2156 22,756,508 4.083
Jan. 29, 2157 25,788,380 3.193
June 28, 2157 21,836,867 4.184
Feb. 8, 2158 25,890,756 2.966
June 23, 2158 20,867,564 4.252
Feb. 21, 2159 25,744,533 2.764
June 18, 2159 19,882,292 4.296
June 13, 2160 18,966,904 4.326
June 10, 2161 18,176,638 4.342
June 7, 2162 17,549,858 4.346
June 6, 2163 17,086,817 4.350
June 4, 2164 16,816,477 4.363
June 4, 2165 16,793,177 4.363
June 5, 2166 17,007,598 4.369
June 7, 2167 17,401,173 4.379
June 8, 2168 18,003,219 4.371
June 12, 2169 18,738,295 4.378
Feb. 11, 2170 25,910,742 2.892
June 16, 2170 19,575,990 4.355
Jan. 31, 2171 25,918,937 3.160
June 20, 2171 20,417,247 4.341
Jan. 23, 2172 25,720,498 3.411
June 25, 2172 21,277,807 4.287
Jan. 14, 2173 25,325,172 3.633
June 30, 2173 22,097,677 4.222
Jan. 7, 2174 24,754,939 3.816
July 6, 2174 22,852,170 4.118
Jan. 1, 2175 24,042,594 3.956
July 13, 2175 23,473,595 3.986
Dec. 26, 2175 23,221,239 4.062
July 18, 2176 23,965,576 3.828
Dec. 20, 2176 22,285,212 4.150
July 25, 2177 24,312,297 3.620
Dec. 16, 2177 21,293,197 4.217
Aug. 1, 2178 24,489,660 3.428
Dec. 11, 2178 20,315,887 4.256
Aug. 9, 2179 24,529,690 3.194
Dec. 8, 2179 19,425,735 4.268
Aug. 15, 2180 24,443,676 2.985
Dec. 4, 2180 18,619,071 4.278
Aug. 25, 2181 24,256,681 2.793
Dec. 2, 2181 17,938,217 4.296
Dec. 1, 2182 17,438,991 4.297
Nov. 30, 2183 17,158,897 4.294
Nov. 29, 2184 17,043,635 4.309
Nov. 30, 2185 17,130,989 4.306
Dec. 1, 2186 17,440,317 4.307
Aug. 17, 2187 24,424,858 2.946
Dec. 3, 2187 17,934,431 4.315
Aug. 8, 2188 24,541,393 3.192
Dec. 4, 2188 18,571,707 4.305
Aug. 1, 2189 24,546,944 3.432
Dec. 7, 2189 19,309,235 4.311
July 25, 2190 24,423,622 3.659
Dec. 11, 2190 20,141,034 4.285
July 19, 2191 24,152,559 3.868
Dec. 15, 2191 21,002,044 4.270
July 12, 2192 23,743,856 4.051
Dec. 18, 2192 21,825,839 4.215
July 7, 2193 23,205,544 4.209
Dec. 23, 2193 22,587,378 4.170
July 1, 2194 22,544,423 4.338
Dec. 27, 2194 23,293,425 4.074
June 26, 2195 21,769,555 4.435
Jan. 2, 2196 23,910,374 3.987
June 19, 2196 20,928,958 4.499
Jan. 6, 2197 24,420,939 3.845
June 15, 2197 20,065,850 4.543
Jan. 11, 2198 24,799,894 3.714
June 11, 2198 19,199,335 4.577
Jan. 17, 2199 25,065,932 3.534
June 7, 2199 18,335,941 4.601

Images and Observations

Kamo`oalewa's orbit is determined by observations dating back to March 17, 2004. It was last officially observed on May 13, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 310 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

Kamo`oalewa can be reached with a journey of 362 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 6.108 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 3,162,158 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for Kamo`oalewa.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of Kamo`oalewa:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.001 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1028
  • Inclination: 7.79°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 65.86°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 305.26°
  • Mean Anomaly: 338.09°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.065 km
  • Magnitude: 24.33

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 366 days (1.00 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 29.75 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.10 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.90 AU
  • Rotation Period: 0.47 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of Kamo`oalewa 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 Kamo`oalewa 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.