163015 (2001 UX16)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 163015 (2001 UX16)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 10,682,937 km of Earth in 2028
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

163015 (2001 UX16) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2001 UX16 as a "Near Earth Asteroid" due to its orbit's proximity to Earth, but it is not considered potentially hazardous because computer simulations have not indicated any imminent likelihood of future collision.

2001 UX16 orbits the sun every 616 days (1.69 years), coming as close as 0.90 AU and reaching as far as 1.94 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2001 UX16 is probably between 0.102 to 0.229 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2001 UX16's orbit is 0.06 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.

2001 UX16 has 12 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Nov. 14, 2028 10,682,937 9.139
March 14, 2034 21,458,337 10.495
Nov. 14, 2055 10,543,011 9.231
March 14, 2061 21,868,985 10.834
Nov. 19, 2082 15,080,256 8.072
March 17, 2088 26,330,837 12.516
Jan. 7, 2110 28,465,434 6.830
Nov. 11, 2131 12,090,954 11.154
March 13, 2137 20,438,887 9.024
Nov. 16, 2158 11,244,829 9.103
March 17, 2164 22,350,068 11.288
Dec. 9, 2185 24,866,265 6.697

Images and Observations

2001 UX16's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 13, 2001. It was last officially observed on April 11, 2007. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 34 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 2001 UX16:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.417 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.3683
  • Inclination: 10.62°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 213.37°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 254.56°
  • Mean Anomaly: 308.81°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.132 km
  • Magnitude: 22.07

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 616 days (1.69 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 25.03 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.94 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.90 AU

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

⧉

Sky Map

The position of 163015 (2001 UX16) 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 2001 UX16 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.