155338 (2006 MZ1)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 155338 (2006 MZ1)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 19,515,973 km of Earth in 2055
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

155338 (2006 MZ1) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2006 MZ1 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2006 MZ1 orbits the sun every 718 days (1.97 years), coming as close as 0.81 AU and reaching as far as 2.33 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2006 MZ1 is probably between 0.221 to 0.494 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2006 MZ1's orbit is 0.01 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.

2006 MZ1 has 18 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Dec. 10, 2055 19,515,973 16.240
Nov. 22, 2057 9,817,270 10.491
Oct. 11, 2059 27,395,495 10.358
Aug. 29, 2061 25,344,901 9.845
July 22, 2063 5,859,895 11.840
July 8, 2065 26,092,341 17.345
Dec. 8, 2120 12,527,337 14.819
Nov. 21, 2122 12,674,780 10.039
Oct. 14, 2124 26,966,847 10.301
Sept. 9, 2126 27,172,996 10.199
Aug. 1, 2128 13,221,482 10.084
July 16, 2130 12,696,383 14.600
Dec. 12, 2187 18,486,787 16.052
Nov. 25, 2189 9,438,421 10.577
Oct. 14, 2191 27,194,887 10.325
Sept. 2, 2193 25,740,177 9.904
July 26, 2195 6,789,473 11.540
July 11, 2197 25,093,866 17.141

Images and Observations

2006 MZ1's orbit is determined by observations dating back to June 16, 2002. It was last officially observed on Feb. 10, 2007. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 134 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 2006 MZ1:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.569 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4826
  • Inclination: 2.08°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 226.59°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 138.7°
  • Mean Anomaly: 240.6°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.285 km
  • Magnitude: 20.4

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 718 days (1.97 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 23.77 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.33 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.81 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 155338 (2006 MZ1) 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 below comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 2006 MZ1 to create an approximate landscape rendering with New York City in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.