About (144861) 2004 LA12
(144861) 2004 LA12 is a common neo. It swings within 0.629 AU of the Sun at perihelion.
Its orbit genuinely intersects Earth's track around the Sun. The two paths cross; only the timing keeps them apart.
Common neo 17 EP
(144861) 2004 LA12
Position computed live · sbdb
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Live ephemeris
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Score breakdown
· 4 badgesCommon 22 pts → Uncommon
- Crosses Earth's orbit +8
- Near-Earth object +5
- Apollo: crosses Earth's orbit +4
- Catalogue designation only +0
Total score 17
5 more points to reach Uncommon.
Badges
- Near-Earth object · +5
- Crosses Earth's orbit · +8
- Catalogue designation only
- Apollo: crosses Earth's orbit · +4
Trivia
What makes it special
- It crosses our path. Its orbit genuinely intersects Earth's track around the Sun. The two paths cross; only the timing keeps them apart.
What it actually is
- Its orbit family. An Apollo-class object: its orbit is wider than Earth's but crosses it. Most known Earth-crossers belong to this family.
- Closest approach. At its nearest it comes within 0.63 AU of the Sun — inside the orbit of Venus.
- One lap. A single orbit around the Sun takes it about 4 years.
- How far it roams. Its orbit swings between 0.63 and 4.39 AU from the Sun.
Sense of scale
- Sense of scale. In everyday terms it is roughly 0.3× the height of Mount Everest.
By the numbers
- Estimated size. Nobody has measured its size directly. Assuming it reflects light like a typical asteroid, its brightness implies something roughly 3 km across.
What's in a name
- Designation. Known only by its catalogue designation — no name yet.
Properties
- aphelion au
- 4.39
- designation
- 144861
- eccentricity
- 0.7493
- full name
- 144861 (2004 LA12)
- h mag
- 15.36
- inclination
- 39.43
- mean motion deg day
- 0.2481
- moid au
- 0.357
- name
- (144861) 2004 LA12
- number only
- yes
- orbit class
- APO
- perihelion au
- 0.629
- semi major au
- 2.508
How to see it
Like any astronomical target, (144861) 2004 LA12 is best seen from a dark site away from city lights, and when it is above the horizon depends on your latitude and the time of year. Because it moves against the background stars, the live position panel on this page tracks where it is right now. The visibility panel above works out tonight's viewing window for your saved location.
Why (144861) 2004 LA12 is a common neo
(144861) 2004 LA12 scores 17 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the common tier. Another 5 points would lift it into a rarer tier.
That score comes from 4 science badges — Near-Earth object, Crosses Earth's orbit, Catalogue designation only and Apollo: crosses Earth's orbit — each earned for a real, measurable property of the object. Rarity on Spacedle is never random: the more remarkable an object's astrophysics, the more badges it collects, the higher it scores, and the rarer it ranks.