1996 AE2

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
• Comparable in size to a football field
• Will pass within 23,615,981 km of Earth in 2020
• Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

1996 AE2 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 1996 AE2 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.

1996 AE2 orbits the sun every 584 days (1.60 years), coming as close as 1.02 AU and reaching as far as 1.72 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 1996 AE2 is probably between 0.242 to 0.542 kilometers in diameter, making it small in absolute terms, but larger than 90% of asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

1996 AE2's orbit is 0.12 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that there is an wide berth between this asteroid and Earth at all times.

1996 AE2 has 7 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Images and Observations

1996 AE2's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Jan. 15, 1996. It was last officially observed on Feb. 3, 2020. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 299 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 1996 AE2:

• 1685 Toro (1948 OA)
• 4947 Ninkasi (1988 TJ1)
• 53789 (2000 ED104)

References

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

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 1996 AE2 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.