2003 LN6

Very small Aten-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Aten-class Asteroids » 2003 LN6

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 12,239,962 km of Earth in 2022
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2003 LN6 is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2003 LN6 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.

2003 LN6 orbits the sun every 290 days (0.79 years), coming as close as 0.68 AU and reaching as far as 1.04 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2003 LN6 is probably between 0.020 to 0.089 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2003 LN6's orbit is 0.00 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.

2003 LN6 has 13 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
April 21, 2022 12,239,962 6.532
June 18, 2026 1,417,060 3.920
June 26, 2030 28,835,662 10.118
April 21, 2045 23,171,175 8.917
May 3, 2049 1,808,781 3.720
June 25, 2053 23,501,832 8.985
April 19, 2064 17,760,082 7.782
June 21, 2068 2,638,386 4.453
April 19, 2090 14,119,637 7.006
June 25, 2094 17,698,229 7.775
April 20, 2116 10,558,692 6.205
June 25, 2120 23,404,907 8.984
April 22, 2138 19,629,882 8.133

Images and Observations

2003 LN6's orbit is determined by observations dating back to June 9, 2003. It was last officially observed on May 23, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 111 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

2003 LN6 can be reached with a journey of 410 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 6.534 km/s. To put this into perspective, the delta-v to launch a rocket to Low-Earth Orbit is 9.7 km/s. There are 213,160 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2003 LN6.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2003 LN6:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 0.8568 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.2095
  • Inclination: 0.66°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 214.58°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 211.72°
  • Mean Anomaly: 36.11°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.055 km
  • Magnitude: 24.71

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 290 days (0.79 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 32.14 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.04 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.68 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2003 LN6 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 2003 LN6 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.