Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Will pass within 25,883,371 km of Earth in 2023
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

141851 (2002 PM6) is a small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2002 PM6 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2002 PM6 orbits the sun every 479 days (1.31 years), coming as close as 0.18 AU and reaching as far as 2.22 AU from the sun. Its orbit is highly elliptical. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2002 PM6 is probably between 0.732 to 1.637 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.

Close Approaches

2002 PM6's orbit is 0.04 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 PM6 has 10 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
July 28, 2023 25,883,371 26.205
Aug. 5, 2040 14,358,003 33.415
July 29, 2061 18,741,028 27.516
Aug. 4, 2078 8,107,197 31.799
July 29, 2099 21,206,180 27.088
Aug. 7, 2116 14,577,861 33.395
Aug. 3, 2137 8,070,916 30.061
July 29, 2158 26,605,181 26.158
Aug. 6, 2175 9,314,007 31.921
July 30, 2196 21,124,579 27.187

Images and Observations

2002 PM6's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 20, 2000. It was last officially observed on Aug. 8, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 728 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 PM6:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.198 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.8502
  • Inclination: 19.14°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 304.01°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 224.52°
  • Mean Anomaly: 70.36°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.945 km
  • Magnitude: 17.8

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 479 days (1.31 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 27.21 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.22 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.18 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 141851 (2002 PM6) 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 PM6 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.