15996 (1998 YC12) is a mid-sized asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter in the main portion of the asteroid belt. NASA JPL has not classified 1998 YC12 as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.
1998 YC12 orbits the sun every 1,270 days (3.48 years), coming as close as 1.91 AU and reaching as far as 2.69 AU from the sun. 1998 YC12 is about 5.1 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay.
1998 YC12's orbit is 0.91 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that there is a very wide berth between this asteroid and Earth at all times.
Orbital simulations conducted by NASA JPL's CNEOS do not show any close approaches to Earth.
1998 YC12's orbit is determined by observations dating back to April 20, 1982. It was last officially observed on April 8, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 2,506 observations used to determine its orbit.
The position of 15996 (1998 YC12) 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.
The above comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 1998 YC12 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.