Apollo

Its next notable close approach is on 2046-Nov-13, when it passes about 13.7 lunar distances from Earth — roughly 5,279,572 km. Apollo is currently about 1061 lunar distances away — the live orbit and distance are shown above.

No impact is predicted. Apollo is classified as a potentially hazardous asteroid, which means its orbit brings it relatively close to Earth — but classification is about proximity, not an impending collision. Its trajectory is continuously refined as new observations are gathered, and predicted close approaches are calculated decades ahead. Its live position and orbit are shown above.

Apollo is estimated at about 1.5 km across — about the size of a small mountain. Size estimates are derived from how bright the asteroid appears and refined by radar and thermal measurements when it passes close to Earth.

Apollo is Apollo (Earth-crossing) object. It orbits the Sun once every 1.78 years, on an elliptical path that reaches beyond Earth’s orbit and swings back toward the Sun. The interactive orbit diagram above shows where it is right now.

Most of the time Apollo is far too faint to see, but during a close approach it can brighten enough for amateur telescopes, and the largest near-Earth asteroids occasionally reach binocular range. Check the close-approach date above, then plan your night with our sky and space-weather tools.