141498 (2002 EZ16)

Small Aten-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Aten-class Asteroids » 141498 (2002 EZ16)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Will pass within 27,556,779 km of Earth in 2033
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

141498 (2002 EZ16) is a small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2002 EZ16 as a "Near Earth Asteroid" due to its orbit's proximity to Earth, but it is not considered potentially hazardous because computer simulations have not indicated any imminent likelihood of future collision.

2002 EZ16 orbits the sun every 323 days (0.88 years), coming as close as 0.40 AU and reaching as far as 1.44 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2002 EZ16 is probably between 0.533 to 1.191 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than ~97% of asteroids but small compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge.

The rotation of 2002 EZ16 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 5.02 hours.

Close Approaches

2002 EZ16's orbit is 0.18 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that there is a wide berth between this asteroid and Earth at all times.

2002 EZ16 has 8 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Nov. 30, 2033 27,556,779 20.101
Nov. 30, 2056 26,980,668 20.336
Dec. 1, 2079 26,477,356 20.652
Dec. 2, 2102 26,189,164 20.894
Dec. 2, 2125 26,018,666 21.238
Dec. 2, 2148 26,017,282 21.505
Dec. 3, 2171 26,216,924 21.894
Dec. 3, 2194 26,560,242 22.210

Images and Observations

2002 EZ16's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Dec. 1, 1995. It was last officially observed on Feb. 14, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 462 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 2002 EZ16:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 0.9216 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5665
  • Inclination: 30.14°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 262.9°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 25.36°
  • Mean Anomaly: 244.02°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.688 km
  • Magnitude: 18.49

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 323 days (0.88 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 31.04 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.44 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.40 AU
  • Rotation Period: 5.02 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 141498 (2002 EZ16) 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 2002 EZ16 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.