18488 (1996 AY3) is a large asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter in the main portion of the asteroid belt. NASA JPL has not classified 1996 AY3 as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.
1996 AY3 orbits the sun every 2,070 days (5.67 years), coming as close as 2.32 AU and reaching as far as 4.03 AU from the sun. 1996 AY3 is about 24.6 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Indianapolis.
1996 AY3's orbit is 1.40 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.
1996 AY3's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Jan. 13, 1996. It was last officially observed on Jan. 9, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 3,072 observations used to determine its orbit.
The position of 18488 (1996 AY3) 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.