162039 (1996 JG)

Small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 162039 (1996 JG)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Will pass within 25,196,168 km of Earth in 2025
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

162039 (1996 JG) is a small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 1996 JG as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

1996 JG orbits the sun every 883 days (2.42 years), coming as close as 0.61 AU and reaching as far as 2.99 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 1996 JG is probably between 0.410 to 0.916 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

1996 JG'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.

1996 JG has 12 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
June 5, 2025 25,196,168 15.169
May 18, 2042 15,983,175 23.149
Nov. 26, 2049 8,592,628 21.755
Nov. 8, 2066 29,428,998 14.469
June 9, 2088 29,704,873 14.418
May 31, 2105 12,159,687 17.752
May 27, 2122 3,591,145 19.777
May 26, 2139 4,195,599 20.561
May 16, 2156 28,962,620 25.716
Nov. 27, 2163 4,941,046 20.918
Nov. 21, 2180 9,882,982 18.244
Nov. 13, 2197 24,872,790 15.250

Images and Observations

1996 JG's orbit is determined by observations dating back to May 8, 1996. It was last officially observed on Jan. 6, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 482 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 1996 JG:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.801 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.6606
  • Inclination: 5.28°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 52.82°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 280.26°
  • Mean Anomaly: 83.22°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.529 km
  • Magnitude: 19.06

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 883 days (2.42 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 22.19 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.99 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.61 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 162039 (1996 JG) 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 1996 JG 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.