85848 (1998 YP29)

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Mars-crossing Asteroid
• Comparable in size to the U.S. Pentagon
• Not a Near Earth Object
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

85848 (1998 YP29) is a mid-sized asteroid with an orbit that crosses the orbit of Mars. NASA JPL has not classified 1998 YP29 as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

1998 YP29 orbits the sun every 1,190 days (3.26 years), coming as close as 1.59 AU and reaching as far as 2.81 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 1998 YP29 is probably between 0.909 to 2.033 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the U.S. Pentagon.

No Close Approaches

1998 YP29's orbit is 0.59 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that there is a very wide berth between this asteroid and Earth at all times.

Orbital simulations conducted by NASA JPL's CNEOS do not show any close approaches to Earth.

Images and Observations

1998 YP29's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 16, 1991. It was last officially observed on June 10, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 494 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 1998 YP29:

• 8 Flora (A847 UA)
• 43 Ariadne (A857 GA)
• 228 Agathe (A882 QA)

References

• JPL Small Body Database
• Mission Design
• Sky Finder Chart

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 85848 (1998 YP29) 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 1998 YP29 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.