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List of asteroid close approaches to Earth in 2022

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Below is the list of asteroids that have come close to Earth in 2022.

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Timeline of known close approaches less than one lunar distance from Earth

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A list of known near-Earth asteroid close approaches less than 1 lunar distance (0.0025696 AU (384,410 km; 238,860 mi)) from Earth in 2022, based on the close approach database of the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS).[1] During 2022 143 asteroids passed within 1 LD of Earth. As most asteroids passing within a lunar distance are less than 40 meters in diameter, they generally are not detected until they are within several million km of Earth.

For reference, the radius of Earth is about 0.0000426 AU (6,370 km; 3,960 mi) or 0.0166 lunar distances. Geosynchronous satellites have an orbit with semi-major axis length of 0.000282 AU (42,200 km; 26,200 mi) or 0.110 lunar distances.

The first asteroid flyby within 1 LD of Earth in 2022 was asteroid 2021 YK (10–20 meters in diameter), which was observed on 27 December 2021 04:40 UT (when it was about 3.8 million km from Earth) and passed 0.49 LD (190 thousand km) from Earth on 2 January 2022. The largest asteroid to pass within 1 LD of Earth in 2022 was 2022 TM2 with an estimated diameter between 24 and 53 meters for an absolute magnitude of 25.2.[2] The fastest asteroid to pass within 1 LD of Earth in 2022 was 2022 YW6 that passed Earth with a velocity with respect to Earth of 29.8 km/s (67,000 mph).[3][note 1]

The CNEOS database of close approaches lists some close approaches a full orbit or more before the discovery of the object, derived by orbit calculation. The list below only includes close approaches that are evidenced by observations, thus the pre-discovery close approaches would only be included if the object was found by precovery, but there was no such close approach in 2022.

This list and relevant databases do not consider impacts as close approaches, thus this list does not include 2022 EB5 and 2022 WJ1, two asteroids which were predicted to impact on Earth and burned up in its atmosphere, as well as several more objects that collided with Earth's atmosphere in 2023 which weren't discovered in advance, but were observed visually or recorded by infrasound sensors designed to detect detonation of nuclear devices.[4]

     Rows highlighted red indicate objects which were not discovered until after closest approach

     Rows highlighted yellow indicate objects discovered less than 24 hours before closest approach

     Rows highlighted green indicate objects discovered more than one week before closest approach

     Rows highlighted turquoise indicate objects discovered more than 7 weeks before closest approach

     Rows highlighted blue indicate objects discovered more than one year before closest approach
(i.e. objects successfully cataloged on a previous orbit, rather than being detected during final approach)

More information Date ofclosest approach, Discovery ...

Warning times by size

This sub-section visualises the warning times of the close approaches listed in the above table, depending on the size of the asteroid. It shows the effectiveness of asteroid warning systems at detecting close approaches. The sizes of the charts show the relative sizes of the asteroids to scale. For comparison, the approximate size of a person is also shown. This is based the absolute magnitude of each asteroid, an approximate measure of size based on brightness.[1]

Absolute magnitude H ≥ 30 (smallest)

Silhouette of man standing and facing forward
Silhouette of man standing and facing forward

(size of a person for comparison)

After closest approach: 18 (54.5%)< 24 hours before: 13 (39.4%)up to 7 days before: 2 (6.1%)> one week before: 0 (0.0%)> 7 weeks before: 0 (0.0%)> one year before: 0 (0.0%)

Absolute magnitude 30 > H ≥ 29

After closest approach: 21 (56.8%)< 24 hours before: 8 (21.6%)up to 7 days before: 8 (21.6%)> one week before: 0 (0.0%)> 7 weeks before: 0 (0.0%)> one year before: 0 (0.0%)

Absolute magnitude 29 > H ≥ 28

After closest approach: 22 (59.5%)< 24 hours before: 2 (5.4%)up to 7 days before: 13 (35.1%)> one week before: 0 (0.0%)> 7 weeks before: 0 (0.0%)> one year before: 0 (0.0%)

Absolute magnitude 28 > H ≥ 27

ThumbAfter closest approach: 13 (54.2%)< 24 hours before: 1 (4.2%)up to 7 days before: 9 (37.5%)> one week before: 1 (4.2%)> 7 weeks before: 0 (0.0%)> one year before: 0 (0.0%)

Absolute magnitude 27 > H ≥ 26 (probable size of the Chelyabinsk meteor)

ThumbAfter closest approach: 6 (60.0%)< 24 hours before: 2 (20.0%)up to 7 days before: 2 (20.0%)> one week before: 0 (0.0%)> 7 weeks before: 0 (0.0%)> one year before: 0 (0.0%)

Absolute magnitude 26 > H ≥ 25

ThumbAfter closest approach: 0 (0.0%)< 24 hours before: 0 (0.0%)up to 7 days before: 2 (100.0%)> one week before: 0 (0.0%)> 7 weeks before: 0 (0.0%)> one year before: 0 (0.0%)
  •   After closest approach: 0 (0.0%)
  •   < 24 hours before: 0 (0.0%)
  •   up to 7 days before: 2 (100.0%)
  •   > one week before: 0 (0.0%)
  •   > 7 weeks before: 0 (0.0%)
  •   > one year before: 0 (0.0%)

Absolute magnitude less than 25 > H (largest)

None

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Predicted close approaches

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Below is the list of predicted close approaches of near-Earth asteroids larger than magnitude 27, that were predicted at the start of the year to occur in 2022.[note 5] This relates to the effectiveness of asteroid cataloging systems at predicting close approaches. A predicted close approach distance of within ±50% is considered to be a successful prediction.[note 6]

For asteroids which were observed but not predicted, see the main list above.

  Rows highlighted orange indicate objects which were predicted theoretically but were not observed in practice

  Rows highlighted yellow indicate objects which were predicted and observed but the predicted close approach date and distance were incorrect

  Rows highlighted green indicate objects which were observed with the predicted close approach distance (within ±50%) but wrong date

  Rows highlighted turquoise indicate objects which were observed with the predicted close approach date but wrong distance (out by over 50%)

  Rows highlighted blue indicate objects which were observed as predicted with the correct close approach date and distance

  Rows in grey indicate predicted objects that are not yet due

More information Object, Recovery Date ...

Notes

  1. [N 1]
    2022 YW6 passed Earth with a velocity with respect to Earth of 29.8 km/s and was moving away from the Sun at 38.1 km/s.
  2. [N 2]
    Discovery date, and if the object was confirmed and previously undiscovered, the discoverer
  3. [N 3]
    Distance from the center of Earth to the center of the object. See the NASA/JPL Solar System Dynamics Glossary: Geocentric. Earth has a radius of approximately 6,400 km (0.0166 LD).
  4. [N 4]
    Objects that approached closer to the Moon than Earth are marked with a check.
  5. [N 5]
    Absolute magnitude 27 is the estimated magnitude of the Chelyabinsk meteor, which caused widespread damage and injury, but no deaths. Objects smaller than this are excluded.
  6. [N 6]
    Asteroids with a predicted close approach distance of up to 2 LD are included in the table, since a 2 LD prediction that is out by -50% will result in a 1 LD close approach.
  7. [N 7]
    The date that the object was reacquired i.e. the earliest date this close approach was observed
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Additional examples

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Below is an example list of near-Earth asteroids that passed or nominally will pass more than 1 lunar distance (384,400 km or 0.00256 AU) from Earth in 2022. During 2021 over 1000 asteroids passed within 10 LD (3.8 million km) of Earth.

  Rows highlighted yellow indicate short arc objects that have not been observed for years and therefore the uncertainty in the approach distance and date are large

  Rows highlighted red indicate objects which are risk–listed with a virtual impactor near this date

More information Object, Size (meters) ...

Notes

  1. [N 1]
    For comparison as closest Venus approach was 2022-Jan-08 at 0.2658 AU (103.4 LD). (Earth came to perihelion on 2022-Jan-04.)
  2. [N 2]
    2009 JF1 was unique because it was rare to have an asteroid predicted to pass within 1 AU of the Earth (in the next year) and have better than a 1:50,000 chance of impact. Before re-measurements of the existing astrometry in February 2022, 2009 JF1 was nominally predicted to pass about 0.1 AU (15 million km; 39 LD) from Earth with a 1:3800 chance of impact.
  3. [N 3]
    Mercury also passed 257 LD from Earth on January 24 and 251 LD from Earth on September 20. Mercury makes a closest approach to Earth about every 116 days.
  4. [N 4]
    As of 1 November 2022 the uncertainty in the close approach distance of 2022 RM4 on 1 November 2022 was ±77 km.
  5. [N 5]
    The uncertainty region for (85713) 1998 SS49 on 2022-Nov-21 was ±28 km.
  6. [N 6]
    Mars closest approach is 2022-Dec-01 even though opposition in the sky is 2022-Dec-08. Mars close approaches occur about every 26 months (779.94 days).
  7. [N 7]
    The uncertainty region for 2013 YA14 on 2022-Dec-25 was ±9 km.
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See also

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