65733 (1993 PC)

Small Apollo-class Asteroid

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Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 65733 (1993 PC)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Will pass within 17,996,346 km of Earth in 2020
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

65733 (1993 PC) is a small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 1993 PC 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.

1993 PC orbits the sun every 453 days (1.24 years), coming as close as 0.61 AU and reaching as far as 1.70 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 1993 PC is probably between 0.548 to 1.225 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.

The rotation of 1993 PC has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 4.19 hours.

Close Approaches

1993 PC's orbit is 0.07 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.

1993 PC has 23 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
June 4, 2020 17,996,346 17.100
Oct. 29, 2023 28,629,701 19.712
May 23, 2025 25,255,291 9.822
Nov. 11, 2049 18,439,993 11.192
June 6, 2051 21,926,335 18.036
Oct. 31, 2054 22,303,615 18.321
May 25, 2056 19,219,166 11.208
Nov. 13, 2080 24,042,490 9.927
June 8, 2082 27,716,707 19.324
Nov. 2, 2085 16,009,173 16.832
May 29, 2087 13,850,865 12.626
Nov. 12, 2111 18,459,494 11.181
June 7, 2113 22,143,570 18.077
Nov. 1, 2116 21,452,491 18.139
May 28, 2118 18,240,735 11.437
Nov. 13, 2142 18,875,862 11.097
June 7, 2144 22,172,582 18.109
Nov. 2, 2147 22,255,218 18.290
May 27, 2149 19,121,406 11.202
Nov. 13, 2173 19,106,567 11.019
June 8, 2175 21,660,655 17.964
Nov. 1, 2178 25,193,750 18.951
May 26, 2180 22,609,597 10.408

Images and Observations

1993 PC's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 1, 1992. It was last officially observed on July 23, 2020. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 754 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 1993 PC:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.154 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4742
  • Inclination: 4.15°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 336.92°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 168.69°
  • Mean Anomaly: 278.11°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.707 km
  • Magnitude: 18.43

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 453 days (1.24 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 27.71 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.70 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.61 AU
  • Rotation Period: 4.19 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 65733 (1993 PC) 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 1993 PC 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.