2000 EM26

Very small Aten-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Aten-class Asteroids » 2000 EM26

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 27,593,969 km of Earth in 2020
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2000 EM26 is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2000 EM26 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.

2000 EM26 orbits the sun every 270 days (0.74 years), coming as close as 0.44 AU and reaching as far as 1.20 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2000 EM26 is probably between 0.084 to 0.187 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2000 EM26's orbit is 0.02 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.

2000 EM26 has 45 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
April 14, 2020 27,593,969 9.907
May 8, 2023 9,015,900 12.814
Feb. 18, 2031 4,646,157 11.936
March 18, 2034 28,726,781 10.036
April 22, 2037 24,023,243 9.831
May 7, 2040 13,541,148 14.728
Feb. 20, 2045 23,434,841 17.572
Feb. 23, 2048 14,597,676 10.322
May 2, 2054 17,392,571 10.230
May 6, 2057 23,132,128 17.108
Feb. 18, 2062 12,801,128 15.256
March 2, 2065 21,377,840 9.899
April 5, 2068 29,856,690 10.049
May 6, 2071 12,556,923 11.039
May 5, 2074 29,272,460 18.512
Feb. 18, 2079 7,915,865 14.172
March 5, 2082 23,422,905 9.888
April 7, 2085 29,582,047 10.003
May 6, 2088 11,998,282 11.179
May 5, 2091 29,279,081 18.519
Feb. 18, 2096 8,937,964 14.400
March 5, 2099 22,777,379 9.866
April 8, 2102 29,669,238 10.011
May 7, 2105 11,914,757 11.210
Feb. 19, 2113 4,514,728 13.411
March 11, 2116 25,655,867 9.906
April 14, 2119 28,111,046 9.922
May 9, 2122 9,257,685 12.370
Feb. 19, 2130 2,470,319 12.742
March 12, 2133 26,428,431 9.921
April 14, 2136 28,068,194 9.897
May 9, 2139 9,439,393 12.338
Feb. 20, 2147 6,006,736 11.563
March 26, 2150 29,638,079 10.047
May 4, 2153 16,324,254 10.329
Feb. 19, 2161 4,656,633 11.834
March 26, 2164 29,672,493 10.050
May 6, 2167 14,098,971 10.718
Feb. 24, 2175 14,128,257 10.330
April 7, 2178 29,282,936 9.981
May 9, 2181 9,864,761 13.115
Feb. 20, 2186 16,449,972 16.020
March 9, 2189 24,423,178 9.864
April 20, 2192 25,233,024 9.808
May 8, 2195 17,520,606 15.644

Images and Observations

2000 EM26's orbit is determined by observations dating back to March 5, 2000. It was last officially observed on April 27, 2020. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 93 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 2000 EM26:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 0.8171 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4668
  • Inclination: 3.84°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 344.92°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 24.41°
  • Mean Anomaly: 73.21°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.108 km
  • Magnitude: 22.51

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 270 days (0.74 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 32.92 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.20 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.44 AU

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

⧉

Sky Map

The position of 2000 EM26 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 below comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 2000 EM26 to create an approximate landscape rendering with New York City in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.