2006 GC1

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2006 GC1

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 18,698,599 km of Earth in 2021
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2006 GC1 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2006 GC1 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2006 GC1 orbits the sun every 814 days (2.23 years), coming as close as 0.31 AU and reaching as far as 3.10 AU from the sun. Its orbit is highly elliptical. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2006 GC1 is probably between 0.211 to 0.472 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2006 GC1'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.

2006 GC1 has 11 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
July 26, 2021 18,698,599 30.274
April 5, 2026 13,279,058 30.661
July 26, 2050 18,771,038 30.328
April 6, 2055 14,916,175 31.031
July 28, 2079 17,413,499 29.961
April 6, 2084 18,124,566 31.644
July 30, 2108 14,561,811 28.714
April 9, 2113 23,829,072 32.806
Aug. 3, 2137 15,818,554 26.602
Aug. 7, 2166 22,982,543 24.443
March 28, 2180 19,624,657 24.212

Images and Observations

2006 GC1's orbit is determined by observations dating back to April 2, 2006. It was last officially observed on July 24, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 92 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 2006 GC1:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.706 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.8172
  • Inclination: 5.98°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 196.11°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 232.89°
  • Mean Anomaly: 325.29°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.273 km
  • Magnitude: 20.5

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 814 days (2.23 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 22.80 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.10 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.31 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2006 GC1 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 2006 GC1 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.