1991 BA

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
• Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
• Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

1991 BA is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 1991 BA 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.

1991 BA orbits the sun every 1,180 days (3.23 years), coming as close as 0.72 AU and reaching as far as 3.66 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 1991 BA is probably between 0.005 to 0.011 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

1991 BA's orbit is 0.00 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is very close to Earth's orbit.

Orbital simulations conducted by NASA JPL's CNEOS do not show any close approaches to Earth.

NASA Sentry has assessed impact risk for 44 very close approach scenarios. Here are the top scenarios ordered by probability of impact:

Images and Observations

1991 BA's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Jan. 18, 1991. It was last officially observed on Jan. 18, 1991. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 7 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 1991 BA:

• 254 Augusta (A886 FA)
• 270 Anahita (A887 TA)
• 281 Lucretia (A888 UC)

References

• JPL Small Body Database
• Mission Design
• Sky Finder Chart

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 1991 BA 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.