2003 YH136

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
• Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
• Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
• Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
• See orbit simulation

Overview

2003 YH136 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2003 YH136 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2003 YH136 orbits the sun every 1,320 days (3.61 years), coming as close as 0.25 AU and reaching as far as 4.46 AU from the sun. Its orbit is highly elliptical. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2003 YH136 is probably between 0.350 to 0.784 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 90% of asteroids but tiny compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building.

No Close Approaches

2003 YH136's orbit is 0.01 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.

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

Images and Observations

2003 YH136's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Dec. 28, 2003. It was last officially observed on Jan. 11, 2004. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 35 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 2003 YH136:

• 4 Vesta (A807 FA)
• 27 Euterpe (A853 VA)
• 84 Klio (A865 QA)

References

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

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2003 YH136 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 YH136 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.