16872 (1998 BZ) is a mid-sized asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter in the main portion of the asteroid belt. NASA JPL has not classified 1998 BZ as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.
1998 BZ orbits the sun every 1,320 days (3.61 years), coming as close as 1.83 AU and reaching as far as 2.87 AU from the sun. 1998 BZ is about 3.8 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the island of Manhattan.
The rotation of 1998 BZ has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 2.81 hours.
1998 BZ's orbit is 0.85 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 BZ's orbit is determined by observations dating back to May 25, 1992. It was last officially observed on May 14, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 4,507 observations used to determine its orbit.
The position of 16872 (1998 BZ) 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 BZ 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.