About (234061) 1999 HE1
(234061) 1999 HE1 is a common neo. It swings within 1.013 AU of the Sun at perihelion.
An Apollo-class object: its orbit is wider than Earth's but crosses it. Most known Earth-crossers belong to this family.
Common neo 19 EP
(234061) 1999 HE1
Position computed live · sbdb
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Live ephemeris
This object moves — fetching its current position…
Score breakdown
· 4 badgesCommon 22 pts → Uncommon
- Darker than charcoal +10
- Near-Earth object +5
- Apollo: crosses Earth's orbit +4
- Catalogue designation only +0
Total score 19
3 more points to reach Uncommon.
Badges
- Near-Earth object · +5
- Catalogue designation only
- Apollo: crosses Earth's orbit · +4
- Darker than charcoal · +10
Trivia
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 1.01 AU of the Sun — inside the orbit of Mars.
- One lap. A single orbit around the Sun takes it about 3.6 years.
- How far it roams. Its orbit swings between 1.01 and 3.72 AU from the Sun.
Sense of scale
- Sense of scale. In everyday terms it is roughly 0.3× the height of Mount Everest.
Standing on it
- Don't jump. Escape velocity here is only around 1.75 m/s. A determined jump would launch you off it and into your own orbit around the Sun.
By the numbers
- Size. Roughly 2.9 km across.
What's in a name
- Designation. Known only by its catalogue designation — no name yet.
Properties
- albedo
- 0.019
- aphelion au
- 3.71
- designation
- 234061
- diameter km
- 2.9
- eccentricity
- 0.5715
- full name
- 234061 (1999 HE1)
- h mag
- 17.69
- inclination
- 8.15
- mean motion deg day
- 0.2712
- moid au
- 0.0542
- name
- (234061) 1999 HE1
- number only
- yes
- orbit class
- APO
- perihelion au
- 1.013
- semi major au
- 2.364
How to see it
Like any astronomical target, (234061) 1999 HE1 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 (234061) 1999 HE1 is a common neo
(234061) 1999 HE1 scores 19 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the common tier. Another 3 points would lift it into a rarer tier.
That score comes from 4 science badges — Near-Earth object, Catalogue designation only, Apollo: crosses Earth's orbit and Darker than charcoal — 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.