161646 (2006 BL56) is a mid-sized asteroid that shares Jupiter's orbit around the sun. NASA JPL has not classified 2006 BL56 as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.
2006 BL56 orbits the sun every 4,440 days (12.16 years), coming as close as 5.02 AU and reaching as far as 5.56 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2006 BL56 is probably between 4.683 to 10.472 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay.
2006 BL56's orbit is 4.00 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that there is an extremely 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.
2006 BL56's orbit is determined by observations dating back to April 6, 1995. It was last officially observed on June 22, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 301 observations used to determine its orbit.
The position of 161646 (2006 BL56) 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 2006 BL56 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.