163696 (2003 EB50)

Mid-sized Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 163696 (2003 EB50)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to Mount Everest
  • Will pass within 26,537,491 km of Earth in 2025
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

163696 (2003 EB50) is a mid-sized asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2003 EB50 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.

2003 EB50 orbits the sun every 719 days (1.97 years), coming as close as 0.76 AU and reaching as far as 2.39 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2003 EB50 is probably between 1.302 to 2.911 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to Mount Everest.

The rotation of 2003 EB50 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 62.06 hours.

Close Approaches

2003 EB50's orbit is 0.05 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.

2003 EB50 has 8 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
June 10, 2025 26,537,491 18.753
June 4, 2027 26,357,694 22.613
Nov. 26, 2078 10,206,962 22.148
Nov. 17, 2080 24,148,653 18.360
June 7, 2088 23,137,007 20.277
Nov. 29, 2139 13,993,029 22.933
Nov. 20, 2141 19,372,577 18.919
June 9, 2149 23,800,018 20.153

Images and Observations

2003 EB50's orbit is determined by observations dating back to March 10, 2003. It was last officially observed on July 17, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 5,400 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 2003 EB50:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.571 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5191
  • Inclination: 29.5°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 65.61°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 278.98°
  • Mean Anomaly: 8.82°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~1.681 km
  • Magnitude: 16.55

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 719 days (1.97 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 23.77 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.39 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.76 AU
  • Rotation Period: 62.06 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 163696 (2003 EB50) 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 above comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 2003 EB50 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.